Film Critic JohnsonThomas

Theo Angelopoulos

2012-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

Theodoros Angelopoulos
Director
“Prizes are prizes, but I still need to tell that story. And being simple is the hardest thing.”

Theo Angelopoulos began to study law in Athens but broke up his studies to go to the Sorbonne in Paris in order to study literature. When he had finished his studies, he wanted to attend the School of Cinema at Paris but decided instead to go back to Greece. There he worked as a journalist and critic for the newspaper “Demokratiki Allaghi” until it was banned by the military after a coup d’état. Now unemployed, he decided to make his first movie, Anaparastasi (1970). Internationally successful was his trilogy about the history of Greece from 1930 to 1970 consisting of Meres tou ’36 (1972), O thiasos (1975), and Oi kynigoi (1977). After the end of the dictatorship in Greece, Angelopoulos went to Italy, where he worked with RAI (and more money). His movies then became less political.

Director's Guild Awards-= 2012

2012-01-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

The Artist' tops DGA AwardsMichel Hazanavicius earns feature film awardBy Dave McNary
Helmer Michel Hazanavicius accepts the DGA feature award for “The Artist,” flanked by co-stars Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin.
Helmer Michel Hazanavicius accepts the DGA feature award for “The Artist,” flanked by co-stars Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin.
Robert B. Weide won the TV comedy helming award for “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Patty Jenkins took the dramatic TV series directing award for the pilot episode of AMC mystery series “The Killing.”
"The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius won the Directors Guild of America feature film award on Saturday night, underlining the industry enthusiasm for the pic during an unusual awards season.
"It's maybe the highest honor I could hope," Hazanavicius said in his acceptance Saturday night at Hollywood & Highland. "I love directors, I honor directors, so this is an honor for me."
The DGA win for the 44-year-old French director came on his first DGA nomination -- and marks the first time that a silent film has won the DGA trophy since it began giving the awards in 1948.
The helmer described "The Artist" as a "love letter" to Hollywood, set in the days during the transition to talkies. "It's strange to compare films and say which one is best but I'm very happy to get this," Hazanavicius concluded in his acceptance speech.
The DGA win came a week after "The Artist" won the Producers Guild trophy. "Hugo" led the way in Tuesday's Oscar nominations with 11 while "The Artist" scored 10.
The DGA award is a dependable measure of Oscar success, with 12 of the last 16 winners going on to win best picture at the Oscars, last differing in 2005 when "Brokeback Mountain" won the DGA and "Crash" the Oscar. And the DGA winner has matched the Oscar directing winner in all but six years since 1948, including last year, when Tom Hooper took both trophies for "The King's Speech." The last divergence came in 2002, when Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for "Chicago" and Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for "The Pianist."
However, no Oscar bellwether is infallible, partly because of the differences among voting groups. The Acad has 5,783 members, all of them working in the film industry; the DGA has about 14,500, including TV helmers, assistant directors, unit production managers and stage managers.
The French director topped Woody Allen for "Midnight in Paris," David Fincher for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Alexander Payne for "The Descendants" and Martin Scorsese for "Hugo."
Along with Hazanavicius, the Oscar directing nominees are Allen, Payne, Scorsese and Terrence Malick for "The Tree of Life."
Saturday night's DGA ceremonies also saw James Marsh win the documentary trophy for "Project Nim." The story of a chimpanzee's life among humans isn't among the five Oscar finalists.
The comedy series trophy went to Robert B. Weide for the "Palestinian Chicken" episode of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." "Modern Family" had won the category two years in a row.
Patty Jenkins won the dramatic series award goes for the pilot of AMC's "The Killing."
Jon Cassar won the movies for television and miniseries award for "The Kennedys," and Glenn Weiss took the musical variety trophy for "The 65th Annual Tony Awards."
The reality TV trophy went to Neil P. Degroot for "Biggest Loser," and Amy Schatz took the children's programming nod for "A Child's Garden of Poetry."
Noam Murro won the DGA commercials award and got a big laugh with his two-word acceptance -- "Thank you."
The daytime serials nod went to William Ludel for "General Hospital."
Woody Allen was a no-show as usual but received big laughs when his videotaped speech for receiving a DGA nom was played: "This is somewhere between the top, the Nobel Prize, and the bottom, the Republican primary."
Kelsey Grammer emceed as the successor to Carl Reiner, who had hosted 23 times. "Welcome to what will be a glorious night....for some of you," he said in his opening.

SAG awards list 2012

2012-01-30T02:45:00.000-08:00

The Help' nabs three kudos at SAG AwardsPic wins for best ensemble, actress, supporting actressHollywood actors showered support on "The Help," giving the ensemble drama a trio of Screen Actors Guild trophies for ensemble, lead actress Viola Davis and supporting actress Octavia Spencer.Thesps also showed affection for "The Artist," giving Jean Dujardin the acting award in what's one of the most closely contested categories. Christopher Plummer won the male supporting actor trophy for "Beginners."An emotional Davis received the cast and best actress trophies back to back at the end of Sunday night's ceremonies at the Shrine Auditorium."It's been such a joy to be a part of this cast," she said in her second acceptance speech of the evening. "All of us can inspire change -- every single one of us."The SAG cast award -- an- nounced by Brad Pitt -- brightens the Oscar prospects for "The Help" as the winner has matched the best picture Oscar winner eight times in the last 16 years, most recently last year when "The King's Speech" took home an Actor and an Oscar. In 2009, the two groups diverged when "Inglourious Basterds" won the SAG trophy and "The Hurt Locker" took best picture.Although "The Help" and "The Artist" have been a part of the trophy conversation for months, Sunday's wins bring more clarity to a race that has been characterized as lacking frontrunners. "The Help" -- which has grossed $170 million domestically for DreamWorks/Touchstone -- won the cast award over the Weinstein Co.'s"The Artist," Universal's "Bridesmaids," Fox Searchlight's "The Descendants" and Sony Classics' "Midnight in Paris."Davis and Spencer were forecasted favorites, but a few surprises emerged -- the biggest being Dujardin winning over George Clooney in "The Descendants."Davis topped two actresses who had won Golden Globes, besting Meryl Streep ("Iron Lady") and Michelle Williams ("My Week With Marilyn")Spencer's early win for "The Help" portended a big night for the civil-rights drama. All five SAG nominees, including Spencer's castmate Jessica Chastain, also received Oscar nominations in the supporting category.Plummer added another award to his string this season for Focus Features' "Beginners." He's also won the National Board of Review, a Golden Globe and at Critics' Choice.The nominations in SAG's four acting categories matched 17 out of the 20 Academy Award noms announced last week. The guild awards are closely watched during awards season because the acting branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the largest voting contingent for the Oscars with more than 20% of AMPAS voters.Among SAG's eight TV-acting categories, Alec Baldwin was a big winner as he racked up his sixth consecutive victory in the lead comedy actor category for NBC's "30 Rock" and mounted the stage by yelling "omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod.""Boardwalk Empire" took the most trophies in the TV category as the second season of the HBO series repeated for drama cast and for Steve Buscemi as top drama actor.Betty White repeated with a win as comedy actress for TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland," denying Tina Fey a fourth SAG Award for "30 Rock."Jessica Lange won the drama actress kudo for FX's "American Horror Story." Paul Giamatti took the miniseries actor award for HBO's "Too Big to Fail" while Kate Winslet won the actress category for that cabler's "Mildred Pierce."Mary Tyler Moore was honored with the 48th annual Life Achievement Award at the ceremony.The SAG Awards were broadcast live on TNT and TBS.The Winners:MOTION PICTURECAST"The Help"ACTORJean Dujardin -- "The Artist"ACTRESSViola Davis -- "The Help"SUPPORTING ACTORChristopher Plummer -- "Beginners"SUPPORTING ACTRESSOctavia Spencer -- "The Help"STUNT ENSEMBLE"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"PRIMETIME TELEVISIONDRAMA CAST"Boardwalk Empire"COMEDY CAST"Modern Family"DRAMA ACTORSteve Buscemi -- "Boardwalk Empire"DRAMA ACTRESSJessica Lange -- "American Horror Story"COMEDY ACTORAlec Baldwin -- "30 Rock"COMEDY ACTRESSBetty White -- "Hot in Cleveland"ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE/MINISERIESPaul Giamatti -- "Too Big to Fail"ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE/MINISERIESKate Winslet -- "Mildred Pierce"STUNT ENSEMBLE"Game of Thrones"LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDMary Tyler MooreContact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com

Sundance film festival 2012 winners

2012-01-30T02:34:00.000-08:00

Variety- Justin ChangPARK CITY, Utah -- "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Benh Zeitlin's imaginative magical-realist debut about a young girl's unique upbringing in southern Louisiana, and "The House I Live In," Eugene Jarecki's provocative documentary about the failure of the war on drugs, won the grand jury prizes for American films at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.Acquired at the fest by Fox Searchlight, "Beasts" proved an early critics' favorite and proceeded to dominate fest conversation until its victory on Saturday night in Park City; pic also drew a cinematography prize for Ben Richardson's lensing.Jarecki was a repeat winner, having previously received the fest's documentary grand jury prize for 2005's "Why We Fight."Audience awards for American features went to "The Surrogate," Ben Lewin's fictionalization of poet Mark O'Brien's journey to experience sex as a polio survivor, and "The Invisible War," helmer Kirby Dick's nonfiction examination of sexual assault in the U.S. military.World Cinema grand jury prizes were presented to "Violeta Went to Heaven," Andres Wood's biopic about Chilean singer-songwriter Violeta Parra, and "The Law in These Parts," Ra'anan Alexandrovicz's documentary about the Israeli military legal system in the Occupied Territories.Aud nods for international features went to "Valley of Saints," Musa Syeed's drama about a boatman in politically turbulent Kashmir, and "Searching for Sugar Man," Malik Bendjelloul's docu portrait of forgotten '70s rocker Rodriguez, which was acquired early on in the fest by Sony Classics. "Sugar Man" also scooped a special jury prize from the World Cinema dramatic jury.Ava DuVernay drew the U.S. dramatic directing prize for "Middle of Nowhere," the Los Angeles-set story of a woman's crisis of conscience regarding her incarcerated husband. In American docs, Lauren Greenfield took helming honors for "The Queen of Versailles," her look at the crumbling fortunes of Florida billionaire couple David and Jackie Siegel.The Waldo Salt screenwriting award, honoring a U.S. dramatic entrant, was given to Derek Connolly for his sci-fi-inflected romantic comedy "Safety Not Guaranteed."World Cinema directing kudos went to Mads Matthiesen's dramatic feature "Teddy Bear," about a socially awkward champion bodybuilder, and Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi's docu "5 Broken Cameras," about a Palestinian village's opposition to the building of Israeli settlements.Screenplay prize for World Cinema went to Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutierrez, Pedro Peirano and Sebastian Sepulveda for "Young & Wild," director Rivas' drama about a young Chilean woman's sexual coming-of-age.A raft of special jury prizes went to the ensemble cast of "The Surrogate," led by John Hawkes and Helen Hunt; producers Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling for their work on U.S. dramatic entries "Smashed" and "Nobody Walks"; "Love Free or Die," Macky Alston's portrait of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson, and "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," Alison Klayman's docu about the titular Chinese artist-activist, both in the U.S. documentary competition; and "Can," Rasit Celikezer's tale of a Turkish couple unable to conceive, in the World Cinema dramatic competition.Excellence in cinematography prizes were presented to Ben Richardson for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (U.S. dramatic); Jeff Orlowski for "Chasing Ice" (U.S. docu); David Raedeker for "My Brother the Devil" (World Cinema dramatic) and Lars Skree for "Putin's Kiss" (World Cinema docu). Documentary editing prizes went to Enat Sidi for "Detropia" (U.S.) and Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky for "Indie Game: The Movie" (World Cinema).The Best of Next audience award went to "Sleepwalk With Me," writer-director Mike Birbiglia's feature-length adaptation of his one-man show. Birbiglia paid tribute in his acceptance speech to another Next entry, Craig Zobel's "Compliance," calling it his favorite film of the festival.The Sundance Institute/NHK Award for emerging filmmakers was presented to Swedish helmer Jens Assur for "Close Far Away."As announced on Tuesday, the Sundance Institute/Mahindra Globe Filmmaking Award for emerging independent filmmakers was presented to Shonali Bose, "Margarita With a Straw" (India); Etienne Kallos, "Free State" (South Africa"); Ariel Kleiman, "Partisan" (Australia); and Dominga Sotomayor, "Late to Die Young" (Chile).As announced Friday, Premieres entry "Robot & Frank" and World Cinema title "Valley of Saints" split the Alfred P. Sloan prize, given annually to a film focusing on science or technology as a theme.Originally slated host Parker Posey was unable to attend the awards ceremony after taking ill on Saturday. In her absence, fest director John Cooper handled emcee duties with helmer Katie Aselton, whose Park City at Midnight entry, "Black Rock," sold to LD Distribution in one of the fest's earliest acquisitions.And the winners are:Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic): "Beasts of the Southern Wild"Grand Jury Prize (Documentary): "The House I Live In"Audience Award (Dramatic): "The Surrogate"Audience Award (Documentary): "The Invisible War"Directing (Dramatic): Ava DuVernay, "Middle of Nowhere"Directing (Documentary): Lauren Greenfield, "The Queen of Versailles"Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (Dramatic): Derek Connolly, "Safety Not Guaranteed"Cinematography (Dramatic): Ben Richardson, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"Cinematography (Documentary): Jeff Orlowski, "Chasing Ice"Editing (Documentary):Enat Sidi, "Detropia"Special Jury Prizes (Dramatic): Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling, "Smashed," "Nobody Walks"; the ensemble cast of "The Surrogate"Special Jury Prize (Documentary): "Love Free or Die," "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"World Cinema Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic): "Violeta Went to Heaven"World Cinema Grand Jury Prize (Documentary): "The Law in These Parts"World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic): "Valley of Saints"World Cinema Audience Award (Documentary): "Searching for Sugar Man"Best of Next Audience Award: "Sleepwalk With Me"World Cinema Directing Award (Dramatic): Mads Matthiesen, "Teddy Bear"World Cinema Directing Award (Documentary): Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, "5 Broken Cameras"World Cinema Screenwriting Award: Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutierrez, Pedro Periano and Sebastian Sepulveda, "Young & Wild"World Cinema Cinematography Award (Dramatic): David Raedeker, "My Brother the Devil"World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): "Can"World Cinema (Documentary) Editing Award: Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky for "Indie Game: The Movie"World Cinema Cinematography Award (Documentary): Lars Skree, "Putin's Kiss"World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Documentary): "Searching for Sugar Man"Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: "Robot & Frank" and "Valley of Saints"

Agneepath(2012), Hindi Bollywood film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

2012-01-27T02:45:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film ReviewJohnson Thomas
Intensely engaging redux
Film: Agneepath
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra,Zarina WahabDirector: Karan Malhotra
Rating: * * *
The hallmark of Karan Johar’s success has always been his ability to highlight the emotional aspect in even the most kitschiest of contexts. He may have lost it along the way (Qurbaan, We are Family) but with ‘Agneepath’ he appears to have regained that lost touch. This film may have been directed by Karan Malhotra but the Karan Johar trademark stamp is unmistakeable.
Karan Malhotra’s ‘Agneepath’ is not so much a tribute to Mukul Anand’s version as it is to the bollywood stereotype masala that used to be the staple of almost every mainstream film in the 80’s and early 90’s. The distinctive tropes are all there- an activist schoolmaster being framed for rape by the villain and then brutally murdered, witnessed by his hapless pregnant wife and young son- who then vows to decimate the evil villain and eventually does just that in a matter of nearly three hours of intensely engaging emotional turbulence. It’s predictable alright!
The story is a mixture of ‘Scarface, Eastern promises. Dayavan and Agneepath,’ so it’s not original in any sense, neither does it have any topicality to it. In fact the main plot and the innumerable sub-plots woven around it are so decadent and unrealistic that you might well think that Karan Johar was either not keen to tell the decades old tale any differently, or maybe he just wanted to double his profit margin while keeping his expense on content creation to the absolute minimum. Whatever the reason be, this ‘Agneepath’ narrative straddles a set-up of artificially manufactured situations served-up in polarising vehemence and with cauterising violence-enough to garner an emotional upheaval in the minds and hearts of the audience. And that’s a trick that works!
The good versus Evil stereotype has been tweaked to good effect. The good here, the hero, is not entirely good. Vijay Dinanath Chauhan( Hrithik Roshan) may have a heart of gold but he earns his goodwill from acts of violence that can never be forgiven in a civilised world. His intense searing anger against the villain ,Kancha Cheema(Sanjay Dutt) who engineered his father Dinanath Chauhan (Chetan Pandit)’s downfall and subsequent death, drives his violent persona from age 9-10 to his late twenties. The first seeds of that distinctive character trait was sown when a few of his friends make fun of him and he reacts with his fists. His father, also a poet, recites the Harvansch Rai Bachchan verse ‘Ye mahan drushya hain, chal raha manushya hain, ashru, sweth, rakta se lathpat lathpath lathpath, Agneepath Agneepath’ in an effort to calm him down. But the little boy is not nearly convinced. And neither are we. The recitation has little character and the verse therefore leaves no impact. In the original ‘Agneepath’ it was Amitabh who recited the verse and his expression thereof was impactful. It’s another matter that Mukul’s film thereafter was tediously lacklustre and boring-coming as it did at a time when the superstar’s career graph was on the wane.
In Karan Malhotra(writer/director)’s ‘Agneepath,’ Vijay is well loved by the village folk who idolise him as their little Krishna. The sequence where he comes running in to climb atop a pyramid of kids waiting to break the matka during Gokul Ashtami celebrations is ample evidence of the Krishna analogy. His subsequent fight with his friends suggests a distinctive inability to stomach injustice. . Viju ,as he is referred to by his mother and his followers, is constantly pitted against evil forces in the most elemental of avatars, one-greater than the other. As a kid, Viju and his pregnant mother were forced to abandon their hometown, Mandva-a fictional hell controlled by a sado-masochistic Kancha Cheema. The set-up leading up to that event is quite arbitrary. A young polio affected girl limps into the schoolroom claiming the masterji called for her . It’s a stormy night, the wind is ferocious and the rain is pelting down in torrents. Master Dinanath sees a light on in the school and goes in to investigate, walking in on a rape just completed. The victim is all bloody and near comatose. Suddenly you hear a clanging and the village mob appears just in time to catch the masterji lifting the victim. The mob has already decided that it’s the masterji who has committed the evil deed. The question asked of the little girl regarding who called her to the venue (and not who raped her) , reeks of a connivance that is senseless. The master is beaten black and blue, dragged all the way to the top of a hill where the tree of death awaits. That very tree also signals the vanquishing of all evil in the climax- a sort of leitmotif that symbolises the resurrection of both good and evil in mankind.

Mother and son relocate to Mumbai , another world where evil forces subjugate the good. Viju’s greatest defence against the big bad world is his father’s teaching- Shakti ka istamal karne ke liye shakti ke paas rehna zaroori hai. Mother and son obviously encounter even more hardship and strife. The build-up of injustice and crime thereafter is so gigantic, as to justify the final cathartic bout of orchestrated vanquishing of unfettered evil.
The mother(Zarina Wahab) represents the voice of reason. It’s up to that character to bring in some semblance of normalcy . By standing firm in her conviction that violence only begets violence her character marks presence for all that is good in the world. It’s a feeble voice at best but it manages to stay true right to the final few minutes. She proves that steadfastness and belief, by banishing her young fatherless son to the outskirts of her life, following his first act of uncontrolled violence- the killing of a police officer who was brutalising the woman who gave his family solace and caring in their hour of need . The mother’s hour of reckoning comes when she is confronted by her son’s impending death at the hands of her husband’s murderer. It’s a sequence that is milked for all it;s worth. She rants against the village folk-turncoats who were misled by Kancha’s evil machinations and cries out in pain when she sees her son being brutalised by the blackguard but never for a moment does she acknowledge that her son was right in taking to violence. Inspector Gaitonde(Om Puri)’s is the other voice of reason. But it’s a voice that is far too haphazard and underdeveloped to make any impact. The chawl dwellers and eunuchs who come to Vijay’s aid in his fight against Rauf Lala, are also forces of good that get decimated by overwhelming power of evil. Kali’s(Priyanka Chopra) and Chamki Chameli’s (Katrina Kaif) presence is akin to that of a few whiffs of perfume in a stinking gutter of mindlessness. Both bring much-needed lightness, relief and romance to the violence drenched scenario.
In the original Mukul Anand version Amitabh’s Vijay was anointed a messiah but in Karan Malhotra’s version Hrithik’s Vijay is far more subtly referenced. Vijay compromises with one evil, Rauf Lala(Rishi Kapoor) , a flamboyant flesh trader, in order to get to the bigger fish, Kancha Cheema –who started off as a salt baron and then veered into drugs. The narrative in fact begins on a significant note- the repealing of the salt act. But that significance is conveniently lost in the smorgasbord of violence that emerges thereafter.
Rauf Lala is a new addition to the plot. His presence adds strength to this crime and retribution saga. Rishi Kapoor lends his own consummate skill to the character. Most of the dramatic moments of the original have been altered to include distinctly orchestrated new-age violence which helps lift-up the dramatic fervour and intensifies the emotional output. Fight choreographer Abbas Ali Moghul has done a grand job in that sense. Hrithik turns in a subtle, sharply intense and superbly sculpted performance. His is the biggest triumph in the film and then follows Karan Malhotra’s all-fangs-bared treatment. Sanjay Dutt tries his best to lend mystique and madness to Kancha Cheema but his performance though competitive, falls well short of brilliant. His menace is in fact far more figurative than inherent. Zarina Wahab lends greater character to the mother stereotype. Arish Bhiwandiwala has the look and skill to play the young Vijay but his eye color is all wrong. Kanika Tiwari as Shiksha, Vijay’s sister does well too.The sets look tacky and substandard but the cinematography (Kiran Deohans and Ravi Chandran)for most part keeps the mood and intensity going. Akiv Ali’s editing sets an incendiary pace. The background score also adds to the orchestrated frenzy. The song and dance is pretty much likable. This film is all the more engaging because of these very attributes. Love it or hate it, you certainly can’t be indifferent to it!
Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Surrogate( sundance film festival)

2012-01-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

The SurrogateMark O'Brien - John HawkesCheryl Cohen Green - Helen HuntFather Brendan - William H. MacyVera - Moon BloodgoodAmanda - Annika MarksJosh - Adam ArkinRod - W. Earl Brown

A Such Much Films, Rhino Films presentation. Produced by Judi Levine, Stephen Nemeth. Executive producers, Maurice Silman, Julius Colman, Douglas Blake. Directed, written by Ben Lewin, based on the essay "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" by Mark O'Brien.
A film of tenderness and humor married to the unlikeliest of subjects, "The Surrogate" presents the story of poet and polio survivor Mark O'Brien, who left behind an oeuvre of life-affirming writing despite his condition. But this is no mere biopic; Jessica Yu covered that quite nicely in her Oscar-winning nonfiction short "Breathing Lessons." Instead, writer-director Ben Lewin's film focuses on perhaps the most unusual chapter of O'Brien's life, in which the iron lung-bound writer (here played by John Hawkes) arranges to lose his virginity with the help of a sex therapist (Helen Hunt). Careful treatment makes for an exceptional, expertly acted crowd-pleaser.
These are the facts, which the film shrewdly weaves throughout the story: O'Brien contracted polio at age 6, losing the use of pretty much everything below the waist and unable to live without artificial respiration for more than a few hours at a time. Rather than being sent to a nursing home, where life expectancy was 18 months, he was cared for by his parents, attended college on a self-propelled gurney and pursued a successful journalism career. Though his body was weakened, sensation remained, and after being assigned a series of interviews on sex and the disabled, he began to investigate the prospect of experiencing things for himself.
By avoiding the impulse to explain everything up front, Lewin foregrounds Mark's sense of humor, allowing his personality to show through his potentially depressing circumstances. From the beginning, he exhibits a frisky interest in sexuality, which feels unusual not because of his disability, but because so few films have been willing to deal with the subject as a source of anything other than shame or stimulation.
For this reason, "The Surrogate" is a refreshingly sex-positive picture, serving to break down many of the barriers Mark (and audiences, too) have toward good, clean intercourse. In Mark's case, the issue is complicated by his Catholic upbringing. Mark spends much of the film in confession with his church's priest (William H. Macy), who serves as a form of therapist, while earning laughs for his drinking, smoking and slightly flexible moral guidance.
This being 1988, before the ubiquity of online pornography, Mark's impure thoughts begin with Amanda (Annika Marks), a beautiful caregiver whose contact and affection inspire hope for a more traditional physical relationship. But Amanda already has a boyfriend, and Mark, unschooled in any aspect of interpersonal connection, scares her away with a naive marriage proposal. Undeterred, he seeks the advice of an academic, who turns him on to the idea of a sex surrogate.
With considerable trepidation -- matched by equal encouragement from his assistants (Moon Bloodgood and W. Earl Brown) -- Mark books an appointment with Cheryl Cohen Green (Hunt), a wife and mother whose unusual vocation involves putting patients in touch with their sexual feelings so they can later share intimacy with future partners. Though the entire picture is infused with a warm sense of comedy, the humor comes across most strongly in Mark's first meeting with Cheryl, which mixes situational laughs with body language-based awkwardness, no easy feat for a performer confined to acting with his face.
Lewin doesn't get coy when it comes to the actual sex, and the same goes for Mark's faith, which plays a strong role in his worldview. "I believe in a God with a sense of humor," he says, displaying a dash of his own wit later by adding, "I would find it absolutely intolerable not to be able to blame someone for all of this."
Though the film samples a fair amount of O'Brien's poetry, it was actually inspired by his article "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate." Still, it's one thing to write about one's own experiences and quite another to translate them to screen without coming across as patronizing, tacky or just plain schmaltzy. Lewin, an experienced Polish-Australian helmer who has mostly recovered from a similarly debilitating case of childhood polio, deserves credit for striking just the right tonal balance, reinforced by Geoffrey Simpson's gorgeously lit camerawork and Marco Beltrami's tenderly understated score.
But performances are paramount in a film like this, and Hawkes works some kind of miracle despite the self-evident physical limitations of the role. His voice captures O'Brien's unbeatable spirit as well as the sheer physical challenge of breathing, while his face is an open book to the man's innermost hopes and fears. Hunt and Macy are similarly at the top of their game, underplaying the sentiment in favor of capturing the deeper humanity of their respective characters.Camera (color), Geoffrey Simpson; editor, Lisa Bromwell; music, Marco Beltrami; music supervisor, Sharon Smith; production designer, John Mott; set decorator, Sofia Elena Jimenez; costume designer, Justine Seymour; sound (Dolby Digital), Marty Kasparian; supervising sound editor, Steven Iba; associate producers, Darlene Winter, Abid Sayed; assistant director, David Dwiggins. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (competing), Jan. 23, 2012. Running time: 95 MIN.
Contact Peter Debruge at peter.debruge@variety.com

Oscar Nominations and my predictions for the Oscars

2012-01-26T03:23:00.000-08:00

Here’s my predictions for the winners as well as who I think deserves to win:
Best Picture
The Artist,
The Tree of Life ----Winner,
The Descendants,
The Help,
Midnight in Paris,
Hugo,
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,
Moneyball,
War Horse,

Best Actor
George Clooney, –
Gary Oldman -------Winner,
Brad Pitt,
Jean Dujardin,
Demián Bichir,

Best Actress
Meryl Streep, –
Glenn Close,
Viola Davis--------Winner,
Rooney Mara,
Michelle Williams,

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer ---------------Winner,
Max von Sydow ,
Kenneth Branagh,
Jonah Hill,
Nick Nolte,

Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer ,
Bérénice Bejo,
Jessica Chastain----------------------------Winner,
Melissa McCarthy,
Janet McTeer,

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, –
Terrence Malick---------------------Winner,
Alexander Payne,
Martin Scorsese,
Woody Allen,

Best Cinematography
The Tree of Life,
The Artist,
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,
Hugo---------------------------- Winner,
War Horse,.

Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants ,
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -------------Winner,
Hugo,
The Ides of March,
Moneyball,

Original Screenplay
Midnight in Paris,
A Separation --------------------------Winner,
The Artist,
Bridesmaids,
Margin Call,

Best Foreign Film
In Darkness ,
A Separation --------------------Winner,
Footnote,
Bullhead,
Monsieur Lazhar,

List of nominations for Oscars
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
"The Artist"(The Weinstein Co.)Thomas Langmann, Producer
"The Descendants"(Fox Searchlight)Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (Warner Bros.)Scott Rudin, Producer
"The Help"(Touchstone)Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
"Hugo"(Paramount)Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
"Midnight in Paris"(Sony Pictures Classics)Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
"Moneyball"(Sony Pictures)Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
"The Tree of Life"(Fox Searchlight)Nominees TBD
"War Horse"(Touchstone)Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
Alexander Payne - "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"
Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"
Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life."
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Demián Bichir - "A Better Life"
George Clooney - "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin - "The Artist"
Gary Oldman - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Glenn Close - "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis - "The Help"
Rooney Mara - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kenneth Branagh - "My Week with Marilyn"
Jonah Hill - "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte - "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"
Max von Sydow - "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Berenice Bejo - "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain - "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy - "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer - "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer - "The Help."
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - "The Descendants"
John Logan - "Hugo"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon - "The Ides of March"
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin - "Moneyball"
Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig - "Bridesmaids"
J.C. Chandor - "Margin Call"
Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"
Asghar Farhadi - "A Separation."
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
"A Cat in Paris" - Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
"Chico & Rita" - Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
"Kung Fu Panda 2" - Jennifer Yuh Nelson
"Puss in Boots" - Chris Miller
"Rango" - Gore Verbinski
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Dimanche/Sunday"
"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"
"La Luna"
"A Morning Stroll"
"Wild Life"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Bullhead" (Belgium)
"Footnote" (Israel)
"In Darkness" (Poland)
"Monsieur Lazhar" (Canada)
"A Separation" (Iran)
CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Artist" - Guillaume Schiffman
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" - Jeff Cronenweth
"Hugo" - Robert Richardson
"The Tree of Life" - Emmanuel Lubezki
"War Horse" - Janusz Kaminski
SOUND MIXING
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
"Hugo" - Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
"Moneyball" - Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
"War Horse" - Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
SOUND EDITING
"Drive" - Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" - Ren Klyce
"Hugo" - Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" - Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
"War Horse" - Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource - "The Artist"
Alberto Iglesias - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Howard Shore - "Hugo"
John Williams - "The Adventures of Tintin"
John Williams - "War Horse"
ORIGINAL SONG
"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" - Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio" from "Rio" - Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.
COSTUME DESIGN
"Anonymous" - Lisy Christl
"The Artist" - Mark Bridges
"Hugo" - Sandy Powell
"Jane Eyre" - Michael O'Connor
"W.E." - Arianne Phillips
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Hell and Back Again" - Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" - Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" - Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
"Pina" - Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
"Undefeated" - TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" - Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
"God Is the Bigger Elvis" - Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
"Incident in New Baghdad" - James Spione
"Saving Face" - Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" - Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
ART DIRECTION
"The Artist" - Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" - Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"Hugo" - Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"Midnight in Paris" - Production Design: Anne Seibel, Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
"War Horse" - Production Design: Rick Carter, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
FILM EDITING
"The Artist" - Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" - Kevin Tent
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"Hugo" - Thelma Schoonmaker
"Moneyball" - Christopher Tellefsen
MAKEUP
"Albert Nobbs" - Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" - Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
"The Iron Lady" - Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Pentecost" - Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
"Raju" - Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
"The Shore" - Terry George and Oorlagh George
"Time Freak" - Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
"Tuba Atlantic" - Hallvar Witzo
VISUAL EFFECTS
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" - Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
"Hugo" - Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
"Real Steel" - Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" - Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Theo Angelopoulos 1935-2012

2012-01-26T03:07:00.000-08:00

Theo Angelopoulos, 1935-2012Written by David HudsonPublished on 24 January 2012 / Last Updated on 25 January 2012The DailyTheo AngelopoulosJust ten days ago, we were pointing to an interview in which a lively-sounding Theo Angelopoulos was telling David Jenkins in Sight & Sound about his plans for his next film, The Other Sea. Now word comes via, among others, Kevin Jagernauth at the Playlist that the 77-year-old filmmaker was struck by a motorcycle near the set not far from Athens' main port of Piraeus and has died of his injuries. At the moment, the AP has only a few other details on the accident.Acquarello in Senses of Cinema in 2003: "From the absence of the conventional word 'End' at the conclusion of his films to his penchant for interweaving variations of episodes from his earlier films (which, in turn, are often culled from personal experience) to create interconnected 'chapters' of a continuous, unfinished work, Angelopoulos's cinema is both intimately autobiographical and culturally allegorical and, like the children of Landscape in the Mist [1988], traverses a metaphysical plane where the real and the mythic figuratively (and sublimely) intersect to map the organic and borderless landscape of the Greek soul." And at Acquarello's Strictly Film School, you'll find her reviews of six of his films.Also in 2003, Geoff Andrew introduced Angelopoulos to an audience at what was then still the National Film Theatre in London: "I think he's probably the most distinctive film-maker at work today anywhere in the world because [after] five seconds you know it's his film. Nobody else creates a universe like Theo Angelopoulos."Someone's left this note at the IMDb under the citation for the Grand Prize of the Jury awarded to Ulysses' Gaze (1995): "Obviously very disappointed that he and his cast headed by Harvey Keitel had not [won the Palme d'Or], Angelopoulos told a shocked and suddenly silent audience, 'If this is what you have to give me, I have nothing to say.' Andy Garcia, presenter for the award, didn't know what to do when the director went off stage without even pausing long enough for photos and followed Angelopoulos." He did win the Palme d'Or, though, in 1998 for Eternity and a Day as well as several other awards throughout a career that spanned four decades.Viewing. Andrew Grant tweets: "The passage of time — best scene from Ulysses' Gaze: 5 years, 1 scene, 1 shot." Parts 1 and 2.Updates, 1/25: For the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, the very circumstances of Angelopoulos's death — a traffic accident that's taken him even as he was working on what might have been his last film — "has an enormous irony and poignancy: so much of his work is about the unfinished story, the unfinished journey, the unfinished life, and the realisation that to be unfinished is itself part of the human mystery and an essential human birthright and burden. This was part of what he conveyed to audiences, in a cinematic style that was poetry and epic poetry, steeped in the tumult of Greek history from the time of the second world war, and yet his movies were anything but frenzied or dramatic. They addressed not history's surface action but its spiritual causes and effects; he created long, dreamlike takes in long, dreamlike films, visual compositions of great beauty and delicacy, and a tempo that was largo, rising occasionally to adagio."Scott Tobias at the AV Club: "His breakthrough film, the four-hour 1974 epic The Travelling Players, epitomized the difficulties and rewards of Angelopoulos's best work. Composed of just 80 shots, each a meticulous tableau with subtle camera movement, the film cannot be fully comprehended without an understanding of modern Greek history and Aeschylus' Oresteia tragedies. And yet it's possible to be awed by it without fully comprehending it: Made under the shadow of a military dictatorship, the film follows an acting troupe across a country ravaged by civil war, and if some of the details are hard to decipher, Angelopoulos's political message and magisterial images come through powerfully.""The Other Sea, starring Italy's Toni Servillo and Greek newcomer Irini Stratigopoulou, was in the middle of its six-week shoot," reports Joseph Proimakis at Cineuropa. "Scripted by Angelopoulos with input from Cretan writer Rhea Galanaki and long-time collaborator acclaimed novelist Petros Markaris, the film was to focus on the economic hardships of modern-day Greece — the future of the €4-5 million production is now uncertain."Ray Pride posts a photo of Angelopoulos he snapped in Thessaloniki in 2008 and adds an extract from an interview: "How can you ever finish a film?" "I can't. You will have noticed, if you look carefully, that my films never really end. To me they are all works-in-progress."Viewing. A "career in clips." The Guardian's Xan Brooks posts a collection."His elliptical style was born partly out of the restrictive atmosphere of the epoch during which he managed to make his first feature, Reconstruction (1970)," writes Ronald Bergan for the Guardian. "Shot in spare, high-contrast black and white, it was about a Greek migrant worker who returns from Germany and is murdered by his wife and her lover. It was immediately clear that the director was less interested in the crime story than the ideological, individual and collective implications of the murder inquiry. Angelopoulos then emerged on the international scene with his impressive historical triptych, Days of '36 (1972), The Travelling Players (1975) and The Hunters (1977), the most ambitious Greek films to date. Shot by Giorgos Arvanitis, the cinematographer on almost all of Angelopoulos's films, they are long, contemplative studies of modern Greek history."Angelopoulos "wasn't just the most important Greek director of his generation," writes the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Scott Foundas, "but also one of the last true masters in a dying tradition of 20th-century European modernism. Which may be what Angelopoulos meant when he said, in his 1998 acceptance Palme d'Or speech at the Cannes Film Festival, 'I belong to a generation slowly coming to the end of our careers.' … As a teenager, he immersed himself in poetry (especially that of TS Eliot and George Seferis) and, eventually, movies (Huston, Hawks and Walsh were among his early favorites). But bowing to family pressure, he enrolled in law school at the University of Athens, dropping out before graduation and heading for that bohemian Mecca, Paris. There, he eventually found himself at the famed film school IDHEC and, perhaps more significantly, in that sacred temple of cinephilia known as the Cinemathèque Française. He devoured the films of Welles, Murnau and Antonioni, and soon tried his hand at making one of his own, a thriller called Black and White, the negative of which remained at the lab when Angelopoulos could not afford to pay for it." Scott walks us through the filmography before wrapping with this: As genre films, pastiche and a pan-global wave of neo-neorealism have become the dominant fashions on the international film festival circuit, there has seemed to be ever less room for Angelopoulos' brand of large-canvas, symbol-laden, formally rigorous moviemaking. (Most likely due to lack of DVD availability, or comprehensive retrospectives, he has never been taken up as a cause by the same "remodernist" hipsters who have made a patron saint out of Béla Tarr.) But as the invaluable David Bordwell reminds in a 1997 essay on Angelopoulos, "Often majestic, sometimes mannered, almost always melancholic, Angelopoulos demonstrates that, contrary to what prophets of postmodernity keep telling us, cinematic modernism can still open our eyes." Now that he is gone, as is all too often the case, many new viewers will doubtless open their eyes to his work. To quote TS Eliot: "In my beginning is my end." And vice versa.For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow @thedailyMUBI on Twitter and/or the RSS feed. ■Share this postResponses8 responses to this post. Join the discussion Arian Raeisi 1 day ago Shocking News!! This can’t be happening..! Ursulino 1 day ago RIP, master… I will always remember my first years as a cinephile, when I discovered his “Landscape in the mist”, which moved me so much! Sad day for cinema… rado 1 day ago Great one! “Eternity and a Day”… Grey Daisies about 20 hours ago :-( Sailorripley about 17 hours ago “The Weeping Meadow” did not win the Golden Bear in 2004. David Hudson about 17 hours ago Good heavens, you’re right, of course. And I even saw both The Weeping Meadow and the Golden Bear-winner, Head-On, at the Berlinale that year. The horrible and horribly absurd news of Angelopoulos’s death broke pretty late last night, so apologies for the slip-up and many thanks for the catch.

Ya Gol Gol Dabyatla, Marathi Film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating : * *

2012-01-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

Marathi Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A clueless remake
Film: Ya Gol Gol Dabyatla
Cast: Ashok Saraf, Smita Talwalkar, Santosh Juvekar, Madhav Abhyankar, Smita Shewale, Vijay Chauhan, Papan Patila, Aakansha Thakur
Story, Screenplay, Direction: Asit Redij
Music: Satishchandra
Cinematographer: Sameer Athale

Rating: * *

Revisiting a very old tale(Molkarin(marathi 1963), Santaan(hindi1993)) without really understanding the semantics of the relationship dispute, Asit Redij’s ‘Ya Gol Gol dabyatla’ is pretty clueless in terms of narration and dramatic fervour.

The narrative pits an only child against his parents for the sole reason that he is ashamed of his parents poverty and his ambitions in the acting department does not allow for such poor antecedents. That premise is pretty much silly and unsubstantiated. Bajapa Mahapati(Ashok Saraf) and his wife(Smita Talwalkar) are a couple in their mid to late forties when they are blessed with a child. A son they dote on and try to provide for to the best of their abilities. Bajapa earns his living carting a bioscope from school to school, village to village to earn his living showing stills to eager children. It’s obviously an occupation that earns him very little money. Yet on his wife’s persuasion he sends his son to school. The wife has to increase her home visits as house maid in order to keep apace with the demands of educational expenses. They gladly work towards educating their child but the son is not all that appreciative. He at first is ashamed of going pillion on his father’s cycle and later on at an older age wants to study engineering and live away in order to minimise contact with his parents. They are even expected to sell off the parcel of ancestral land which they hold dear in order to bear up with the increased expenses. When Bajapa goes to visit his son at the hostel he is in for a rude shock. His son Digambar(Santosh Juvekar) refuses to acknowledge him as his father and the ladoos his ailing mother painstaking prepared are promptly palmed off to the hostel security guard. But that’s not all . Digambar meets producer, Appasaheb(Madhav Abhyankar)’s daughter (Smita Shewale)when in college and she eggs him on to a career in Television and greater glory. They get married secretly , without notifying his parents and begin living together in her father’s house with his blessings. Soon they have a child. When Bajapa and his wife come to meet their son at the hostel, they are directed to Appasaheb’s abode where they are almost shooed away before better sense prevails and they get introduced to the family and friends as folk from Digambar’s village. Digambar himself has a new moniker so any association with the old is strictly prohibitied. Te parents are humiliated time and again till they finally drum up the courage to fight it out in court for a old age maintenance from their son.

The logic in use here is not very strong. The story is far too old fashioned to create any impact. The plight of the parents doesn’t come through as haranguing or troubled because the set-up is just not believable enough. The motivation for the son’s behaviour is not strong enough either. All along it’s a weak story and the entire drama in the court also appears fictitious. Ashok Saraf and Smita Talwalkar are wasted in roles that any other lesser known actors could perform. Santosh juvekar and Smita Shevale are competent enough and so are the rest of the cast. Sameer Atale’s cinematography is standard issue at best. SAtish chandra’s music is not distinctive enough and the direction too is pretty much lacklustre.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Underworld 4 Awakening, Hollywood English Film review, Johnson Thomas Rating: * *

2012-01-20T23:47:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasA con-job with the usual staplesFilm: Underworld 4: Awakening(3D)Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, India Eisley, Charles Dance, Michael EalyDirector: Måns Mårlind Writer: Allison Burnett, Kevin GreviouxGenre: Action/Adventure, SciFi/Fantasy, HorrorRunning Time: 88 min.Advisory: for strong violence and gore, and for some languageRating: * *The Underworld series of films were never up-to-the-mark. The first three issues seemed to be aping Ridley Scott’s Sigourney Weaver top-lined ‘Aliens’ series. The female protagonist as in Scott’s film, is up against evil forces out to exterminate her. The difference though was that she is a Vampire here. A good one at that. The lack of a story, overdone effects, too much actiom and addition of 3D post-production reeks of sub-standard creativity. The story tries a take-off from the earlier Underworld edition. After awakening from a fifteen-year coma, Selene(Kate Beckinsale) discovers she has a fourteen-year-old vampire-Lycan hybrid daughter.. and finds a multimillion dollar corporation looking to harness their power for evil. So daughter and lover. Now she must fight to save her own life, her daughter’s as well as that of her lover. For this they must stop a bio-tech company from creating an army of super-Lycans. Selene in action against stronger creatures defending herself, her friends and her human supporters is a recurring plot device used to gather sympathy for her murderous onslaught. The action is almost continuous. Selene has to show-off her strength , agility and fighting bravado and every scenario in that respect is fast paced and furious enough.Only problem, the agility is inconsistent. There are times when she jumps off a building with ease and at others she is shown stumbling and struggling to make the cut. There’s really no consistency in the depiction of Selene’s legendary abilities. The 3D is also a gimmick used to draw in the crowd under false pretexts. There are very few tailor made sequences for 3D and the effects are not as pulsating or thrilling to warrant a 3D tag. The performances are typically one-dimensional . Charles Dance and Michael Ealy are passable. Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, India Eisley are just about ok. So there isn’t much to Draw in the discerning crowd, just the usual staples to keep the fans of such monster enterprises occupied!Johnsont307@gmail.com

J Edgar, Hollywood English Film review, Johnson Thomas Rating: * * * 1/2

2012-01-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasFilm: J Edgar

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Lea Thompson, Ed Westwick, Armie Hammer, Dermot Mulroney, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Donovan, Stephen RootDirector: Clint EastwoodWriter: Dustin Lance BlackRunning Time: 137 min.Genre: DramaRating: RRunning Time: 137 min.Genre: DramaRating: * * * 1/2 A stirring bio-pic about the founding father of the F.B.I. Terrific performances from Leonardo Di Caprio, Judi Dench, Naomi Watts and Arnie Hammer and fabulous direction by Clint Eastwood.A man who once was considered to be the most powerful, in America- someone whom even the Presidents of that time feared, is the subject of this stirring bio-pic directed by ace helmer Clint Eastwood. J Edgar Hoover was almost an inscrutable alien to the American public. His antics were legendary and his measures though draconian, gave the country’s administrators enough leeway, unhindered by internal politics, to make it the superpower it is today. Because J Edgar Hoover took care of it all. Crime, incendiary polemics, divergent political ideologues, were efficiently contained through the offices of the American Bureau of Investigation which he almost single-handedly brought-up to the standing the F.B.I receives today.Clint Eastwood’s film is not only about J Edgar(Leonardo DiCarprio)’s administrative achievements lent mystical by the fact that while he kept meticulous files with compromising details on some of America's most powerful figures, nobody knew the man's own secrets. The film opens wide a window into his secret life which very few were privy to. It probably was pretty easy for someone who held the only key to all the possible secrets of a Country’s elite, to be able to keep his own, strictly confidential. I am pretty much sure that given Clint Eastwood’s penchant for covering all bases in the cinema he has created so far, it’s very much probable that this story may well be true. Hoover was publicly reviled as the glory hound who collaborated with Sen. Joseph McCarthy on his anti-communist witch hunt, calling King the most notorious liar in the country, and was also accused of racism, homophobia and sexism. "Milk," screenwriter Dustin Lance Black justifies almost every aspect of that public perception while following the legend’s career highpoints and personal milestones from his twenties up to age 77 when he died. The research for the film seems to be a take-off from Anthony Sommers, tell-all expose ‘Official and Confidential, the secret life of J Edgar Hoover’ published in 1993, which basically struck gold with Susan Rosenstiel’s claim that she witnessed Hoover, a bachelor who was mostly seen with his deputy Clyde Tolson(Arnie Hammer), wearing a cocktail dress at a gay orgy in New York. Obviously, the claim never could be corroborated but the public perception of the great man did get tainted, to a certain extent.Eastwood’s style is dedicatedly classical. The narrative takes a long time to come to the intricacies of Hoover’s sex life,, concentrated as it is in giving the man a patina of greatness before delving open his secret life. When it does, though, it comes with startling clarity and evocativeness that is both intensely emotional and revealing- an Eastwood trademark!DiCaprio emulates Hoover’s life through the varied timelines with utmost empathy and precision. The only hitch to his performance comes during the depiction of the late years in Hoover’s life, where DiCaprio continues to use his booming audio skills -which sits shakily on the ageing old man. Arne Hammer’s performance as Clyde Tolson is supremely impressive. He is note perfect throughout and when the slow-burn narrative reaches a dramatic high, he pulls off a stirring act (on Hoover’s death), one that stays with you long after the movie is done. Dame Judi Dench’s commanding presence lends voice to Hoover’s mother who appears to have control issues, while subtly directing her son’s life and career through the quagmire of American politics. Naomi Watts as the faithful secretary Helen Gandy, who might have been Hoover’s lover , also turns in an exacting performance. Though Eastwood’s direction is pretty much first-rate, there are a few visual bloopers which he could have well done without. In addition to the age-voice contradiction of DiCaprio’s enactment, it’s Arnie Hammer’s ageing look as a well past middle-age Tolson, that appears preposterously plastic. The prosthetic make-up job here is terribly amateurish. Otherwise, the film is quite a treat especially because Tom Stern’s desaturated cinematography lends it a crisp and credible period!johnsont307@gmail.com

Coriolanus, English Hollywood Film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

2012-01-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasA challenging look at Shakespeare in a modern settingFilm: CoriolanusCast: Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastian, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, James Nesbitt, Ashraf Barhom, Lubna Azabal, Dragan MicanovicDirector: Ralph FiennesRating: * * *Cast:

Director: Ralph FiennesRating: * * *Directed by Ralph Fiennes with screenplay by John Logan, based on one of the lesser known plays’ by William Shakespeare, ‘Coriolanus’ –the film, is a realistically rendered modern day tale set in war-torn Belgrade, Serbia-‘ a place calling itself Rome.’ The chancy setting itself renders high drama with it’s conflict-ridden ruins and rampant military action. The juxtaposition of the Bard’s beautiful language amidst macho arrogance and a cannily orchestrated volley of bullets doesn’t actually work but it’s an interesting enough set-up and what follows via a dramatic volley of punchy dialogues rendered with the fullest magnificence by the extremely talented and versatile cast, is an interesting and visually intoxicating experience.The plum central role, Gen. Caius Martius Coriolanus is essayed by the Director himself, Ralph Fiennes, nearly a decade after the one he rendered on stage. Coriolanus is arrogant, proud, scathing of the public and a great war hero for the country torn by strive. He is viciously scarred, sports a shaven head and fears no one. Not even his greatest enemy Aufidius( a commanding Gerard Butler), commander of the guerrilla-like Volluscian army that is constantly devising moves to pull down Rome(read Belgrade).Coriolanus’ biggest strength is his mother’s unflinching adoration of his ideals. Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave)’s belief in her son’s ability to rise to the very top stirs his desire to reach the highest position in his country. Aided by Volumnia’s good friend, Senator Menenius(Brian Cox), Coriolanus is decorated and elected to consul. But because of his inability to bow down to the people’s wishes, a sudden burst of anger on his part and with some conniving by consular officials(James Nesbitt And Paul Jesson), Coriolanus finds himself banished from Rome.This challenging first half exposition and set-up is aided by some prime-time news TV footage which keys in the vital details of the political manoeuvres’ and conflicts within and from outside the city. Once Coriolanus is banished to the outskirts beyond the city we see him wandering closer to the Volscian area where he eventually meets up with Auffidius and humbly allies with him in his fight to liberate Rome.The plot becomes easier to read once the two allies begin their March towards Rome. After Menenius’ failure to get Corialanus to see reason , Volumnia and Virgilia (Jessica Chastian), Coriolanus’ wife, alongside his son, step-in to appeal to the unbending hero. The pulsating drama that unfolds amidst the barrage of prideful verse is a sight to behold. The scenes between mother and son, Volumnia and Coriolanus betray an inter-dependence and connect that stokes violence and loyalty in equal measure.By shooting in Serbia and Montenegro, Fiennes was apparently trying to lend realism and history in order that the schism of conflict reflect on the two opposing characters in the play. Coriolanus is one of the least performed plays from Shakespeare’s oeuvre mainly because it’s easy to sympathise with both Aufidius and Corialanus. Neither are clear-cut villains. There may be no mercy in Martius Corialanus, so also there is none in Aufidius or the scheming senators. The corruption of the powerful contrasts distinctly with the fickleness of the commoners. Both have sharply etched nuances in John Logan's screenplay and Fiennes's clean-cut direction .. The final confrontation between Volumnia and Coriolanus is in fact the highlight of the film. Both Dame Vanessa Redgrave and Ralph Fiennes come out with all guns blazing to imprint their considerable skills on the characters they essay so beautifully. Jessica Chastian as the wife who has to live in the shadow of the hero and his commanding mother gives a splendid turn. Gerard Butler has a commanding presence and is adequate enough but not quite in the Shakespeare mold. Fiennes tries to keep make the challenge of deciphering Shakespeare an easy one and he succeeds up to a point. The dramatic conflicts, the warn-torn imagery, the TV footage high-lighting crucial events, are all top-notch. Despite John Logan’s effort to cut short the elongated verses from the original, there still appears a disconnect. If you are not on high-alert it’s going to be tough to be in the thick of things as Fiennes orchestrates it. Nevertheless, if you are game for a new experience, this one is worth a try! Johnsont307@gmail.com

international Film festival Rotterdam

2012-01-20T00:34:00.000-08:00

International Film Festival Rotterdam25 January - 5 February 2012The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) offers a quality selection of independent, innovative and experimental cinema, video and media art.Sort ByW320The PettifoggerUnited States 201165 MinDIR Lewis Klahr Currently 4.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320SundaysBelgium 201116 MinDIR Valéry Rosier Currently 4.3/5 Stars.

Sundance film festival 19th Jan to 29th Jan 2012

2012-01-20T00:29:00.000-08:00

sundance-2012Sundance Film Festival19 - 29 January 2012The Sundance Film Festival helped foster the American Independent film movement of the late 1980s, and has become the number one destination for finding new American films and talent. Over the years the festival has also acquired a reputation for discovering the world’s best documentary films.Become a FanFestival Lineup Wuthering HeightsUnited Kingdom 2011128 MinDIR Andrea Arnold Currently 3.5/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Oslo, August 31stNorway 201195 MinDIR Joachim Trier Currently 4.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320This Must Be the PlaceItaly 2011118 MinDIR Paolo Sorrentino Currently 3.4/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320WrongFrance 201294 MinDIR Quentin Dupieux Currently 5.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Red LightsSpain 2012119 MinDIR Rodrigo Cortés Currently 0.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW3202 Days in New YorkFrance 201291 MinDIR Julie Delpy Currently 3.3/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Keep the Lights OnUnited States 2012101 MinDIR Ira Sachs Currently 5.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Monsieur LazharCanada 201194 MinDIR Philippe Falardeau Currently 3.7/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Seeking the Monkey KingUnited States 201140 MinDIR Ken Jacobs Currently 4.8/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320ElenaRussia 2011109 MinDIR Andrei Zvyagintsev Currently 3.7/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Where Do We Go Now?Lebanon 2011110 MinDIR Nadine Labaki Currently 3.4/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320About the Pink SkyJapan 2011113 MinDIR Keiichi Kobayashi Currently 5.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320LGreece 201287 MinDIR Babis Makridis Currently 0.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320Liberal ArtsUnited States 201295 MinDIR Josh Radnor Currently 5.0/5 Stars. Become a Fan | I want to watch thisW320The ComedyUnited States 201296 MinDIR Rick Alverson Currently 5.0/5 Stars. Call for Entries! The New York Television Festival is seeking original, independently produced TV pilots for the UK Section of their Independent Pilot Competition. Warner Bros. International Television Production and Fox Television Studios, in conjunction with Apostle, are each offering development opportunities exclusively to UK producers through the competition! Submit scripted or documentary pilots, 4-22 minutes in length - more info here: http://www.nytvf.com/2012_ipc_london.htmPicture of brentosbrentos16Sep11coming to Houston next year, yes!!!Picture of marcomarco28Jun11TAORMINA FILM FEST JUNE 11/18 In the most suggestive location of Sicily, with a wonderful natural setting overlooking the sea, a festival of more followed and loved by the international public.angelo bonanni likes thisPicture of Vince NoirVince Noir13Jan11FILM NOIR in SAN FRANCISCO http://www.noircity.com/noircity.html Holler Holler Holler

The Lost Passolini interview(MUBI digest)

2012-01-20T00:20:00.000-08:00

The Lost Pasolini InterviewWritten by Celluloid Liberation FrontPublished on 17 January 2012Pier Paolo PasoliniOn October 30, 1975, three days before he was murdered, Pier Paolo Pasolini was in Stockholm to present what was to be his last film, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, to Swedish critics. A roundtable discussion was recorded with the intent of turning it into a radio broadcast but news of the filmmaker's death oddly resulted in the withholding of the recording rather than, as would surely happen today, an immediate publication. Eventually, the recording was lost, but as Eric Loret and Robert Maggiori tell the story in Libération, Pasolini's Swedish translator, Carl Henrik Svenstedt, a passionate archivist, recently discovered his own private copy. In December, the Italian newsweekly L'espresso posted the audio recording and published an Italian transcript. Here, for the first time, is an English translation. After a couple of informal questions, the roundtable officially opens with "Ladies and gentlemen…"What do you know about Swedish cinema?I know Bergman, like all other Italian intellectuals. I don't know anyone else. I've heard the names of other Swedish filmmakers but I don't know their films.Never seen them?Never. Rome is a terrible city. There are independent cinemas but the occasions to watch them are very rare.You don't have independent cinemas in Rome?We do, just a couple. It's not like Paris.Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Pasolini is here to present his new film. He just finished it and it's about Sodom…I think this is the first time I've made a film for which the original idea wasn't mine. The film was proposed to Sergio Citti and as usual I was helping him to write the screenplay. As we went along, Citti began losing interest in the film while I was more and more in love with it, especially since I had the idea to set the film in '45, during the last days of the Republic of Salo. Citti started thinking about another script and abandoned the project all together. And given that I was in love with this project, I completed it. Being based on De Sade, this film revolves around the representation of sex. But this aspect has changed in relation to my last three films that I call "the trilogy of life": The Decameron, Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights. In this new film, sex is nothing but an allegory of the commodification of bodies at the hands of power. I think that consumerism manipulates and violates bodies as much as Nazism did. My film represents this sinister coincidence between Nazism and consumerism. Well, I don't know if audiences will grasp this since the film presents itself in rather enigmatic way, almost like a miracle play, where the sacred word retains its Latin meaning of "cursed."Why did you choose the year 1945 for your film?I wanted to represent the end of a world, past glory days. It was a poetic choice—I could have set it in '38, in '39 or '37, but it would've been less poetic.What's poetic about that period?Decadence and twilight are inherently poetic. Had I set it in the heyday of Nazism, it would've been an intolerable movie. To know that all this took place in the last days and that it would soon be over gives the spectator a sense of relief. Substantially this is a film about "true anarchy," that is, the anarchy of power.You are a poet and a filmmaker. Is there a relation between these two roles?As far as I'm concerned, there is a profound unity between the two of them. It's as if I were a bilingual writer.What is the title of your new film?The title is Salò, the name of a town by the Garda Lake, which was the capital of the Fascist Republic. It's a multipurpose title. There is an ambiguity to it: the complete title will be Salò and the 120 days of Sodom. Anyway, there is no historical reconstruction of that era, no truly historical relation: there are no Mussolini portraits; no one does the Roman salute. It's all given.How do you fund your films? Are they commercially successful?The funding process is the normal one. I have a producer.You don't have problems?I don't have problems since only Porcile and Medea were commercial flops. All the others did well at the box office. Accattone was the crucial one. It didn't do super well, but good enough for a beginner. Ever since then, I haven't had any problems.Do you work totally within the commercial system?Yes, totally.Does this mean that one can make very personal and very poetic films within the "system"?Yes, in Italy is possible. I'm not the only one. Fellini, for example, does it too.You and Fellini are very established directors. Is it the same for a 25-year-old filmmaker?It's hard for young people, but that applies to all professions. A young doctor, for instance, struggles as much. In most instances, directors like myself help young ones to get started, like I did with Bernardo Bertolucci. Perhaps Bergman, if he had faith in some young director, could help him/her to make a movie.Since you have the possibility to make movies within the "system," how do you choose your themes? Do you enjoy the same freedom you have when writing poetry or you need to keep the audience in mind? Isn't it a problem?This is neither a moral, political nor a practical problem. It is an aesthetic one insofar as it concerns the metrics and the prosody of a film that in turn influence the readability and "simplicity" of it. Let me be clearer: let's take into consideration the extreme case of an avant-garde film, an "illegible" one as Philippe Sollers would say, and a literary text of the same kind. Well, between the two of them the film is definitely more legible. There is a higher grade of simplicity and readability that is inherent to the cinematographic technique itself.Is it possible in Italy to keep making movies if you're not commercially successful?It can happen that, in spite of not being successful, one can try again as long as failure is strictly commercial and the film has a certain quality.Have you bid farewell to the realism of your first features for good?I don't agree with this. After 15 years in Italy, they finally showed Accattone on TV. We realized it is not a realist film at all. It's a dream, it's an oneiric movie.Didn't they consider it a realistic film in Italy?Yes, but it was a misunderstanding. When I made it, I knew I was doing a very lyrical film, not oneiric as it now seems, but deeply lyrical. I used that soundtrack and shot it in a certain way for a reason. Then what happened was that the realistic world I drew inspiration from for Accattone disappeared; it is no longer there, so the film is a dream of that world.Mamma Roma is realist…Mamma Roma is more realistic than Accattone, maybe. I should watch it again. It is less accomplished, less beautiful and that's because it is less dream-like.What is your training in cinema?I've got none. I've trained by watching films, starting with two great and precise passions, Charlie Chaplin and Kenzo Mizoguchi [sic]. They are the two poles within which everything happens in my films. In fact, my movies are a mix of what stylists call "comic" and "sublime," intended here as stylistic categories. Even in Oedipus Rex, which is supposed to be a highly stylistic and sublime work, the comic aspect sneaks in. In fact, I have always seen reality in cinema as a comic element. But we have to be careful to not attribute too ordinary a meaning to the term "comic."You have been and still are a writer. How did you decide to make movies?It's a long story. When I was a boy, 18 or 19 years old, for a while I wanted to be a director. Then the war came along and abolished any hope and possibility. I found myself in a series of circumstances: I published my first novel, Ragazzi di Vita, which was rather successful in Italy, and subsequently, I was asked to work on screenplays. When I shot Accattone, it was the first time I laid my hands on a movie camera. I hadn't even ever taken a photograph. To this day, I cannot take good pictures.Where do you see yourself in the future? More in cinema or literature?At the moment I'm thinking about making a couple of more films and then to dedicate myself completely to literature again.Are you being honest?In this precise moment I am. I hope to be honest.Is the act of shooting a movie tiresome? It seems, though, that in Italy it is more pleasant. Do Italians have more fun?I have lot of fun. It's a marvelous game. It is very tiresome, especially for me being a cameraman, too, having to carry the camera all the time. So it's a muscular effort too, but it's still great fun.How is your crew? Are there loads of people?No, it's as small as possible.Do you always shoot in 35mm?Yes, always in 35mm.Does it take a long time to learn?You learn everything in 15 minutes.You prefer non-professional actors. How do you work? Do you look for a setting and then choose the people?No, it's not exactly like this. If my film is set in a working class environment, I choose ordinary working men and women, non-professional actors, since I believe it's impossible for a middle-class actor to pretend to be a peasant or a factory worker. It would sound false in an intolerable way. But if I make a film set in a bourgeois milieu, since I cannot ask a lawyer or an engineer to act for me, then I pick professional actors. Naturally, I'm referring to Italy, how it was ten years ago. If I were in Sweden, I would probably always use actors since there is no difference anymore between a middle class and a working class man there. I'm talking about physical differences; in Italy, there is the same difference between the middle and working class as there is between a white and a black man.In your last film, there are no religious elements, is that right?I'm not sure there were not religious elements in my last films. In Arabian Nights, for example, there is a religious tone throughout the film. There wasn't any denominational religiosity, any straight religious theme, but a mystical and irrational situation was there for sure. The "Ninetto" episode, which is the central part of the film…Have you taken part in a dialogue between Marxists and Catholics in Italy?There are no more Marxists and Catholics in Italy—there are no more Catholics in Italy.Can you explain the situation to us then?In Italy, there was a revolution, and it was the first one in its history, while other capitalist countries have had at least four or five revolutions which have unified the [respective] countries. I'm thinking of the monarchic unification, the Lutheran Reformation, the French Revolution and the first industrial revolution. Italy instead had its first one with the second industrial revolution, namely consumerism, and that has radically changed Italian culture in anthropological terms. Before that, the difference between the middle and the working class was as marked as that between two races. Now it's almost vanished. And the culture that has been destroyed the most is the rural one, that is, the peasants. So the Vatican does not have this mass of Catholic peasants behind it anymore. Churches are empty; seminaries, too. If you come to Rome, you don't see clerical students walking the streets anymore, and in the last two elections, the secular vote has triumphed. Marxists, too, have been anthropologically changed by the consumer revolution. They live differently, have a different lifestyle, different cultural models and their ideology changed as well.Are they Marxists and consumerists at the same time?There is this contradiction—all those who consider themselves either Marxists or Communists are consumerists, too. Even the Italian Communist Party has accepted this development.When you refer to Marxists, are you referring to the Communist Party or other factions?Whatever. Communists, Socialists, hardliners. For example, Italian hardliners plant bombs and then watch TV in the evening.Does a society divided into classes still exist?Classes are still there but—and this is the Italian peculiarity—the class struggle is on the economic level and not on a cultural one anymore. Between a middle and a working class man the difference is economic, not cultural anymore.What about the neo-fascist movement?Fascism is over since it rested upon God, family, homeland and the army, which are now meaningless words. There are no more Italians who get emotional in front of the flag.There is a general decay of Italian society today, isn't that true?I consider consumerism a worse fascism than that the classical one, because clerical-fascism did not transform Italians. It did not get into them. It was totalitarian but not totalizing. I'll give you an example: fascism has tried for twenty years to eliminate dialects and it didn't succeed. Consumerism, which, on the contrary, pretends to be safeguarding dialects, is destroying them.Do you think there is a certain balance between these different forces?There is a chaotic balance.Where does this chaos come from?It's the Italian "growth" crisis. Italy swiftly passed from being an underdeveloped to a developed country. And it all happened within five, six or seven years. It's like taking a poor family and turning them into billionaires. They would lose their identity. Italians are going through a period in which their identity is being lost. All the other countries instead are either already developed and have gradually begun to [lose their identities] in the past two centuries or are like the Third World, pre-developed.Be Tiresia. Make a prophecy. Is there hope for the future?I should be Cassandra rather than Tiresia. I asked two Swedish guys I was talking to today whether they felt closer to a humanist or a technological civilization. They replied, rather sadly, that they feel like they're the first generation after about thirty generations that's any different from what has come before. To wrap up, everything I've said here represents my own views. If you speak with other Italians, they will tell you, "Oh, that crazy man, Pasolini."Translated by:@CLF_ProjectCelluloid Liberation Front is a multi-use(r) name, an "open reputation" informally adopted and shared by a desiring multitude of insurgent cinephiles, transmedial terrorists, aesthetic dynamyters and random deviants. For reasons that remain unknown, the name was borrowed from a collective of anti-imperialist blind filmmakers from the Cayman Islands whose films have rarely been unseen. ■

Arthur Christmas 3D, English Hollywood film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * * 1/2

2012-01-13T22:40:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasA delayed Treat!Film: Arthur Christmas 3DCast: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley JensenDirector: Sarah Smith, Barry Cook Rating: * * * ½

Rating: * * * ½The legend of Santa Claus and his humungous achievement of delivering gifts to 600 million kids in one night is a legend worth buying into. At least for Kids. "Arthur Christmas" tries to create a believable scenario for this very legend and I must say it works pretty well. This computer animated stop-motion 3D adventure is cleverly orchestrated and tugs on quite a few seasonal emotions to make the feeling one of Joy !Santa gets a mail from a young girl. It’s a question we cynics might never have wondered about. “If you really live at the North Pole, how come I can't see your house when I look on Google Earth?" ‘Arthur Christmas’ robustly sets out to answer that question as plausibly as possible. Sleigh’s are outdated so it’s now time for the modern tech UFO equipped with advanced camouflage technology and whackier still, engines that run on milk and cookies. All environment friendly gadgets. After all Santa wants to make the world a better place. Santa’s elite platoon of trained elves do all the deliveries. Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith’s inventive scenario makes for an entertaining set-up and the ride is excitingly poised. Mr. and Mrs. Santa (Jim Broadbent and Imelda Staunton), have been at the helm for the past 70 years. Wide-eyed Arthur (James McAvoy) gangly physique clothed in tacky knit holiday sweaters,. sits in awe of his father's work, Grandsanta (Bill Nighy),possibly senile, takes wicked pleasure in favouring the old over the new while Arthur's big brother, Steve (Hugh Laurie), shows his impatience to inherit the top job. , Steve takes Christmas a little too seriously, wants everything to run in military precision. His father though is not as demanding. When a present is left undelivered -- a present addressed to none other than Gwen, the same letter-writing lass heard from in the opening scene, Santa can’t be bothered, Steve considers it acceptable given the negligible margin of error,so it’s up to Arthur with help from Grandsanta and Bryony(Ashley Jensen) to get it to the little girl, the old fashioned way, that night itself.The script is dense full of events and activity, really busy at all levels. The movement is fast but not frenzied. The focus is never lost and the yuletide spirit is all-permeating. The computer animation is first rate so is the stop-motion effects. Harry Gregson-Williams score lends speed and character to the narration. Justin Bieber’s us Is Comin' to Town" is a great crowd puller too. This one may be late to the theatres, considering the season is just about done-but it’s still a treat!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Heartbreaker, English/French film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

2012-01-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasAmusing,flirty rom-comFilm: HeartbreakerCast: Vanessa Paradis; Romain Duris; Andrew Lincoln; Dir: Pascal Chaumeil Rating: * * * This film has taken a pretty long time to come to Indian shores. Released around 1983 this French romantic comedy was considered quite witty and romantic in the presence of dismal Hollywood staples. Today, it comes across as merely amusing and lightly flirty. The actors definitely look fresh because we’ve never seen them before on the Indian screens and the chemistry between them sparkles and shimmers so the effect is quietly pleasing. Pascal Chaumeil’s treatment is effective though a tad old-fashioned. The wit is sharp , the scenario exciting(set in sun-drenched Monte-Carlo) and the courtship between the two leads is interestingly and delightfully orchestrated.Alex(Romain Duris) is the lynchpin of a business which gets hired to drive a wedge between unsuitable couples. His sister(Julie Ferrier) and her husband(Francois Damiens) are part of his team and together they prey on hapless women in love exposing to them the flaws in their romantic dreams. They have recently been deployed by a suspicious father of Juliette (Vanessa Paradis), a strong-minded businesswoman about to marry a charming, wealthy English philanthropist (Andrew Lincoln). It’s their toughest assignment yet.Heartbreaker begins with savoir faire, showcasing Alex at the peak of his trade, posing as a dashing humanitarian doctor aiding African villagers while doing his best to get the couple he has been hired to break-up see the error of their ways. It’s funny, light and pretty much entertaining. The writing is smart , the acting is sharp and the narrative takes interesting turns at oddest of times-enough to keep you glued. The style is undoubtedly French but the formula is definitely Hollywood. Even so this ‘heartbreaker’ has it’s sack full of delightful moments!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Tutiya Dil, Hindi Bollywood Film review, Johnson Thomas Rating: * 1/2

2012-01-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film ReviewJohnson ThomasBroken-haartedFilm: Tutiya Dil Cast: Sidhant Kapur, Nikhil Sabharwal,Iris Maity, Ankit Gupta ,Chiragh Farmahan,Darpan Malik,Navin Kaushik, Suzanna Mukherjee, Jyoti Bhardwaj Director: Amit Khanna Music Director: Gulraj SinghRating: * ½The new age love story is a myth that every new director wants to try out. The chiffon and lace romances specialised by the doyens of the industry(Yash Chopra) seem to have gone out of fashion. Today even the fantasy romance appears to have realistic elements. ‘Pyar Ka Panchnama’ showed the way and other filmmakers follow. Amit Khanna is one such debut making filmmaker. His ‘Tutiya Dil’ talks about a Gen X and the relationship pangs that affect them. Love. Sex. Heartache spread across a narrative that drags on till you are the one wanting to call it quits. For a first time director, Amit Khanna makes a half-decent attempt but his star cast is really devoid of talent. Maybe the next time round he will have the good sense to choose competent actors!Johnsont307@gmail.com

filmmaking opportunities for budding filmmakers

2012-01-13T04:44:00.001-08:00

LAST DATE FOR SUBMISSION: February 8th 2012Tropicana Creative Invite: An opportunity for Filmmakers and Videographers, to feature their film through Tropicana, (PepsiCo) one of the nation’s leading beverage companies and receive a cash incentive of Rs.1,00,000Pepsi Calendar 2012LAST DATE FOR SUBMISSION:February 16, 2012Airtel Creative Invite: Shoot a video that tells the world how WHACKY & WEIRD your friends are & Upload it. Grand prize of Rs1.50 lacs and upto 20 winners get Rs 35,000 eachWe’re on the edge of our seats waiting to see your amazing work!For any queries please feel free to call us on 9167828492/3Talenthouse Indiawww.talenthouse.co.in

Ghost, Bollywood Hindi Film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: *

2012-01-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

Hindi film reviewJohnson ThomasA ghastly tale!Film: GhostCast: Shiny Ahuja, Sayali Bhagat, Julie Bliss, Tej SapruDirector: Puja Jatinder BediRating: *Shiney Ahuja’s comeback vehicle is too much of a non-starter to be of any consequence at the Box-office. The treatment is terribly old fashioned, the narrative quite jerky and hackneyed and the characterisations pretty much underdeveloped and unconvincing.Puja Jatinder Bedi’s debut directorial attempt, in which she also happens to handle the editing and writing departments, has nothing much going for it. The so-called scary moments she creates are unintentionally hilarious, the set-up is dissembled and the narrative just about moves from one unconvincing and unaccomplished horror set-piece to the next. Dr Suhani(Sayali Bhagat) all trussed up in haute couture under the white coat, is the new intern at City Hospital. While on one of her rounds she encounters some weird sounds and curious to know it’s origins she sets out to investigate on her own. The sounds lead her to a closet which when opened reveals the decomposed body of a missing nurse who worked at the hospital. She was allegedly having an affair with Dr. Saxena who also happens to find his maker on the same day as the discovery of nurse Lea’s body. In comes Vijay Singh(Shiney Ahuja) a private investigator hired to conduct clandestine investigations in an attempt to keep the news hounds at bay. Vijay and Suhani get acquainted and fall in love in a couple of minutes and then Vijay’s back story unveils. The narrative is a complicated mess with little coherence and even less excitement or thrills. The performances are all one dimensional. Shiney Ahuja trades on his Punjabi munda fairness while Sayali Bhagat shows off her taut figure to great effect. Both give performances that are wooden and totally unconvincing. The mumbo-jumbo inserts about Satan and Christ are so childish and inept that it’s difficult to take offence at the misrepresentation of religious symbolism and beliefs. . The revenge motive is age-old cliché and the Phirang (Julie Bliss) connection appears to be a face-saving gimmick ( obviously no Bollywood heroine worth her salt wanted to be seen playing his wronged wife ).The script, dialogues, editing, music, make-up and premise itself is so pedestrian that you would do better to revisit one of Ramsay’s campy classics instead. Johnsont307@gmail.com

Sadda Adda, Bollywood Hindi film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2

2012-01-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

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Hindi Film ReviewJohnson ThomasAn unconvincing coming of age-bromanceFilm: Sadda AddaCast: Karanvir Sharma, Shaurya Chauhan, Bhaumik Sampat, Kahkkashan Aryan, Rohin Robert, Rohit Arora, Kunal Pant, Parimal AlokeDirector: Muazzam BegRating: * * ½This is a kind of formulaic filmmaking. Mix-up ‘3 idiots’ with ‘Pyar ka Panchnama’, add a few elements from ‘Dil tho bachcha Hai ji’ and other such bromances on male bonding and you get ‘Sadda Adda.’ The intentions were good no doubt. Six men in their early twenties, from diverse backgrounds (both educational and personal)sharing an apartment during their struggle period- is a set-up that could have had much more gravity than what comes across from Muazzam Beg’s toothless treatment. Their abode is christened ‘Sadda Adda’- a place where the men dream, fight, spy on girls, struggle with inner conflicts, enshrine defeat and maybe have a little fun too. They in fact have a white-board displaying their achievement score for the week. The winner gets to wear a crown-a helmet with beer cans and a tube attached. As a matter of tradition, the beer cans get filled to the brim by the losers- until the winner is well and truly drunk on the high! It’s quite a juvenile game show conceit that doesn’t sit too well in the ensuing scenario. While Sameer(Karanvir Sharma) wants to make it in acting, the others Safal( Parimal Aloke) ,Rajat(Robin Robert), Kabir(Kunal Pant), Jogi(Rohit Arora), Irrfan(Bhaumik Sampat) in IAS, Higher studies abroad, get a suitable position for his MBA qualification, sales and architectural design respectively. . They are all struggling with their career conflicts and are prone to get waylaid by uncharted desires. Sameer enroute to an international film role is plagued by matters of the heart. His relationship with Shreya(Shaurya Chauhan) and substance abuse puts paid to his film star dreams. Irrfan’s budding friendship with a fellow office colleague(Kahkashan Aryan) irks his boss. So his grand dreams of designing a dream project gets scuttled because the Boss is clearly not interested. Safal’s IAS aspirations come a cropper and he conveniently ends it all. Kabir continues to struggle while Jogi revels as the accidental salesman who strikes it rich. Rajat gets to his dream destination, USA and a few years later they all meet-up again- (borrowed obviously from ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ ) and everyone is in a happy place. The story is definitely not novel, the treatment is not sharp enough and the experience way short of bittersweet. The ensemble cast is quite convincing though-especially Karanvir Sharma as the theatre turned film aspirant who gets waylaid by drugs and women. Hs performance has an edge that is primed quite beautifully. The writing could definitely have done with a bit more clarity and bite. So could Muazzam Beg’s toothless treatment which in experience feels like a long , fairly interesting ride but with no destination in sight!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Chaalis Chaurasi(4084), Bollywood Hindi film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2

2012-01-13T04:15:00.000-08:00

Hindi film ReviewJohnson ThomasA Puffed-up crime-caper with very few laughsFilm: Chaalis chauaasi(4048)Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Ravi Kishen, Atul kulkarni, Zakir HussainDirector: Hriday ShettyRating: * * ½There’s nothing much to dislike in this movie save for the fact that it doesn’t really achieve what it set out to do. Conceptualised as a howlarious crime caper, the film just about manages to throw in a few ,scattered ticklish moments- the rest is just boring set-up which doesn’t actually manage to culminate in a fulfilling climactic orgy of laughsThe cast is first rate no doubt and their performances quite crusty. Naseruddin Shah as Pankaj, a rusticated professor who had to do 10 years in prison for culpable homicide following an altercation with his wife about an affair with a colleague, Ravii Kishen as Shakti Chinappa, a drug dealer, Kay Kay as Albert Pinto, a violent , obsessive Dukar Fiat lover who is also a reputed vehicle thief and Atul Kulkarni as Bobby, a failed singer turned pimp, form a quartet of history sheeters attempting to steal away Rs.200 crores of loot from a hawala kingpin. But they are not the only ones disguised as officers of the law attempting the big ticket con!It’s the tone of the script that falls flat. There’s a surfeit of manipulation and technique and too little fun to make this experience worthy. The twists and turns in the plot have a geometric pattern that can well be appreciated for it’s preciseness but there is little entertainment value to be had. And the seasoned actors in the key roles can’t do enough to enliven the journey either. The pre-interval half of the film is devoted to establishing the characters (handycam intros, item numbers et al) and their motivations, the next twenty odd minutes after the interval has them setting up their con and it’s only in the dying moments that you realise that this narrative was an intended rounder with all it’s plot ends meeting neatly in a climax that has very little fizz or bite to matter. Each participant is pretty much doing well for himself in the criminal area he specialises in so their motivation for teaming up with Sir a.k.a Pankaj who is now the alcoholic driver to a Hawala lord, is not very clear. Also how the four got to knowing each other is not established. In fact Hriday Shetty and his team of writers are so intent on getting the audience to out-guess itself that they fail to establish enough content to make this ride worthwhile enough. We saw a similar narrative trend in Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Kaminey’ and Sudhir Mishra’s “Yeh Saali Zindagi’ and to greater effect too. In this film the effort comes across mostly as gimmicky, tedious and disinteresting!johnsont307@gmail.com

The Darkest Hour, Hollywood English Film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * *

2012-01-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasjA unimaginative Sci-fi doomsday scenario Film: The Darkest HourCast: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella, Joel KinnamanDirector: Chris GorakRating: * *From the name itself you must have guessed it. ‘ The Darkest hour’ is about a fictional time set in Moscow when aliens fluff out the power source and decimate mankind .It’s up to a few ingenious survivors, all of them incidentally American, to battle to save the city from complete destruction. Two wannabe Internet entrepreneurs, Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella), journey from the U.S. to Moscow to promote their new website, only to find Skyler (Joel Kinnaman), a Swiss wheeler-dealer, has stolen their idea and investorsBitterly disappointed, they opt to drown their sorrows at the trendy Zvezda Nightclub, where they fortuitously connect with two lovely tourists, Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor). Thousands of extraterrestrial invaders descend from the night sky and proceed to vaporize all humans in their paths. The four and Skyler take shelter in a secure basement, emerging several days later to discover almost all living creatures have been blasted into dust and all power sources consumed by the unfriendly visitors.It’s a doomsday prophecy that we’ve seen time and again in film after film and to much greater effect. Chris Gorak creates a dark environment from which it’s difficult to pinpoint the aliens. In fact the aliens are never seen for most of the first half and a major part of the second half. And when they are finally visible it’s a substandard look that appears caricaturish and one dimensional. The second half relies more heavily on traditional action-adventure tropes, with the introduction of a plucky teen scavenger (Veronika Vernadskaya), an eccentric engineer-turned-inventor (Dato Bakhtadze), and Matvei (Gosha Kutsenko), a crafty technician who rides a heavily armored horse while leading a small ragtag army against the invaders. The narrative barely hints at a crazed inventor (Dato Bakhtadze) with the key to potentially stopping the invasion and does away with that thread too fast to matter much.The setting (Moscow) and the grand use of it’s architectural delights give the narrative a newness that eventually gets lost in the rote familiarity of the premise.The sequences involving the few survivors running down empty desolate streets and traversing iconic bridges look suitably terrifying and disorienting. John Spaight’s script doesn’t have anything interesting to say though. Gorak’s treatment is technically spiffy but there is not much enjoyment in the experience. There’s just far too much darkness in the production to shed light on any enjoyment to be had. Gorak builds up enough expectation and curiosity regarding the look and feel of the aliens but the minute they are exposed, it appears all for nought. The aliens look like the common garden gnome variety and utterly lacking in uniqueness . The film may have been much better before the mutilation brought on at the editing table but that’s not much of a solace. The way we saw it, leaves a darn lot to be desired!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Players, Hindi Bollyuwood Film review, Johnson Thomas, rating: * 1/2

2012-01-06T02:49:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film ReviewJohnson ThomasTo ‘Game’ a HeistFilm: PlayersCast: Bipasha Basu, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sonam Kapoor,Vinod Khanna,Sikander Kher, Aftan Shivdasani, Shweta BharadwajDirector: Abbas-Mastan Rating: * ½This is an official remake that even the originators (*makers of the ‘The Italian Job’) would be hard-pressed to acknowledge. Abbas –Mastaan’s ‘Players’ is a botched-up Bollywood job of F Gary Gray’s 2003 released, wonderfully choreographed, entertaining and adventurous heist movie remodelled on the 1969 Michael Caine –Noel Coward classic. As is wont for an Abbas-Mastaan film, the twists and turns are aplenty, even though completely unnecessary and the implausibility is galling. For every twist there’s an overly verbose explanation accompanying, in order to maintain believability. But despite the hackneyed explanations the believability is always suspect. Characters are knocked off and brought back to life at will. There’s little to surprise as by now every movie watcher knows that Abbas-Mastaan wont make a film without their very own staple-generically engineered twists and turns.The adaptation itself is faulty. The borrowed story idea is given a traditional makeover with Characters spouting Indian names and unlikely careers. Charlie Mascarenhas (Abhishek as unenthusiastic, wooden and stiff as only he can be) is a Chartered Accountant cum Jewel thief. He has a competitor/partner Ria(Bipasha) who is always looking to go one-up on him. In fact the film opens with a comic heist where both Charlie and Ria set-up individual tricks to get to the precious diamond studded necklace owned by a reputed jeweller. Johnny Lever is the salesman at hand who ends-up getting conned by the duo. Following closely to the scene showing Charlie and Ria explaining how they outmanoeuvred each other is the one where some Russian mafia guys chase Charlie’s friend(Aftab Shivdasani) and kill him.He leaves Charlie a clue about a rich gold haul which could make all their lambent dreams come true. So Charlie gets in touch with an incarcerated Victor dada(Vinod Khanna) who is supposedly one of the foremost minds in the thieving industry,and presently lording it over his jailors in a high-security prison. Victor dada is one of Charlie’s clients and Charlie therefore knows of the right kind of lure to get him involved despite the former’s avowed promise to his daughter Naina(Sonam) about giving up his criminal ways. So Victor dada arranges for the rest of the crew which includes Ria who is also now conveniently mentioned as a automobile expert, Ronnie( Bobby Deol)a magician and illusionist, Sunny Mehra(Omi Vaidya) a makeup and prosthetics expert and Bilal Basheer(Sikander Kher) an explosives expert who is deaf in one ear . To tie-up the team together they need a world famous computer hacker called Spyder(Neil Nitin Mukesh) who is ferreted out by an equally competent computer whiz Naina. The explanation for two such experts in the same plot is obvious and odious..Victor dada would not want his innocent daughter involved in any crime. But she gets involved anyway because she is soft on Charlie who appears to be having fun on the side with Ria who in turn has some liaison with another team member. The plot is a contortionist’s nightmare. The performers are all disinterested and their inability to come to terms with what they are supposed to be doing within the story is clearly visible. The attempts at comedy first by Johnny Lever and then by Omi Vaidya (with his now ridiculous East African accent) are off-putting to say the least. There is really no room for any kind of joy in a narrative that stretches to unbearable within the first few minutes of the runtime itself. The imagination and chutzpah, sly machismo and suave pyrotechnics seen in the F Gary Gray version is completely missing. The locales- India, New Zealand and Russia look touristy but the incidents set there have little significance. The music is terrible and the accompanying item dances are extremely shabby. The costumes sported by the cast look like some horror-film cast-offs. The flop set of actors that Abbas-Mastaan have brought together for this caper make it clear that they don’t have what it takes to make the audience sit up and take notice. Not one of them can drum up either energy or verve to lift the protracted and tedious narrative from the doldrums that Abbas-Mastaan puts it in. Hopefully the audience will smarten up enough to let this ‘Players’ go the ‘Game’ way!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Best of 2011 International film posters- selected by Adrian Curry

2012-01-05T01:49:00.000-08:00

The Best Movie Posters of 2011Written by Adrian CurryPublished on 30 December 20111. UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVESBack in February I called Chris Ware’s poster “definitely an early contender for the best of 2011” and eight months later nothing has come close in terms of ingenuity, beauty and sheer graphic skill. It’s fitting that Uncle Boonmee was also one of the year’s best films. Read all about it here. 2. THE TRIPNot the official poster for Michael Winterbottom’s foodie road trip, nor even the wonderful teaser poster which channelled Vik Muniz in a couple of dirty plates, but one of eight strikingly varied and witty alternative posters designed by Mojo, for what purpose I’m not entirely sure. All of them were terrific—you can see them here—and I’m ranking them second for the collective effort, but my favorite was this take on the great 1932 Dubonnet posters of A.M. Cassandre (whose Triplex poster also featured prominently on the wall of Gare Montparnasse in Scorsese’s Hugo).3. SHIT YEARSomehow I missed this when Cam Archer’s film opened in New York in September and only came across it the other day. Designed by Welsh-born, San Francisco-based illustrator Michael Gillette, who also designed the poster for Archer’s 2006 film Wild Tigers I Have Known, this black and white watercolor, with its sad clown Barkin, tearful ink drips and scrawled lettering, is the most perfect melding of title and image I’ve seen all year. Whereas the Boonmee poster teases the ineffable mystery of its subject, this one says it all. Gillette, like Ware, is a major talent. I’m not sure if he’s done any other movie posters but he has been justly feted for a fabulous series of Bond girl book covers for Penguin. 4. SUPERI always liked the Rainn Wilson version of the Super poster, which I wrote about back in March in relation to many lesser variations on the photo/cartoon trend; but it was discovering its sister design that sealed the deal for me. They make a beautiful pair. Like The Trip, these also came from the house of Mojo.5. EAMES: THE ARCHITECT AND THE PAINTERThe film, while fascinating, is standard issue American Masters, but it would have been sacrilege to produce an ordinary poster for a film about America’s greatest designer duo. I don’t know who created it—I’d like to think that it was one of Eames’s former colleagues—but its use of type (love the block serif title) and composition is faultless, connecting a charming portrait of Charles and Ray with snippets of their greatest hits and giving the whole thing a nice mid-century modern feel.6. L’AMOUR FOUDesigned by Michael Boland (creator of many fine Criterion covers) for Pierre Thoretton’s documentary about Yves Saint-Laurent and his long-time partner Pierre Bergé, this poster forgoes fashion, and YSL’s creations, for the elegant simplicity of a portrait photograph and some rather lovely hand-lettering. Simple, yes, but one only has to look at the original French poster to see how Boland dramatically improved it both graphically and thematically for the US release (though Bergé himself may not agree). Coincidentally, the famous YSL logo was designed by A.M. Cassandre, 30 years after Dubonnet (see above).7. BURNING MANMy rule for the Best Posters of the Year tends to be that they have to be posters for films released in the U.S. this year, but since I have no idea if Burning Man will ever be released here, I’m bending the rule for a film released in Australia in 2011. I wrote about Jeremy Saunders’ stunning teaser design here. Far preferable to the eventual release poster.8. MELANCHOLIASometimes elegant type over a beautiful photo is all that’s needed. Designed by Gravillis Inc. who produced another great poster this year—The Black Power Mixtape—by judiciously placing serif type over a stunning photo (see runners-up), and their alternative Melancholia poster is equally fine. (Gravillis can also take credit for two more runners-up, The Innkeepers and I Saw the Devil).9. DRIVEI wasn’t sure about this poster when I first saw it but it has grown on me with the slow burn of a Ryan Gosling stare. The sticking point for me, and for many, was the pink script title treatment which is supposed to evoke 80s movies but just never seemed quite right for either the era or for the film. Even if it did have a certain 80s feel it seemed more suited to a sorority house flick than a moody thriller. (It looks especially wrong in this version). But I love the film and with the passage of time that pink cursive, coupled with the Hey Girl photo (that ray of light, that black glove), has since assumed a certain rightness, making it my favorite mainstream poster of the year.10. BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORKOK, so I am not one to blow my own trumpet, at least not in this forum, but this poster, which I had a hand in, has a special place in my heart and if these are my favorite posters of the year then this is definitely one. Exactly one year ago I was putting the finishing touches on this design, which was a collaboration with director Richard Press and, in spirit at any rate, with Bill Cunningham himself, whose “On the Streets” column for The New York Times this pays homage to. I can’t take credit for the ensuing popularity of the grid layout in 2011 (incorporated into both Tree of Life and Eames) but maybe Bill can. For those of us who worked on the film, 2011 was definitely the year of Bill and I was very happy to see my design reproduced on tote bags and popcorn bags.Below are the rest of my 25 favorite posters of the year, in a purely aesthetic order.

List of Film personalities Bollywood lost in year 2011

2012-01-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

10 Jan : Vivek Shauk (47) Actor (Gadar, Aitraj, Ulta-Pulta, Flop Show)28 Feb : Radhakant Sharma (81) Producer/Director (Jaadu Nagari, Sher Khan, Ganga Maang Rahi Balidaan, Chambal Ki Raani, Amar Singh Rathor )19 March : Naveen Nischol (65) Actor (Saawan Bhadon, Buddha Mil Gaya, Dhundh, Victoria No. 203, Hanste Zakham)20 March: Bob Christo (70) Villain/Character Actor, (Abdullah, Namak Halaal, Kaaliya, Mard, Mr. India, Qurbaani)12 April : Sachin Bhowmik (80) : Writer (More than 130 Films, An Evening In Paris, Brahmchari, Jaanwar, GolMaal, Aaradhana, Karan Arjun, Koi Mil Gaya, Krish, Khalnayak)6 July: Mani Kaul (67), Director (Uski Roti (1970), Aashadh Ka Ek Din(1971), Duvidha (1973) )7 July : Rasika Joshi (39) Actor (Maalamaal Weekly, Bhool Bhooliya, Vaastu Shastra)18 July: B.D. Garg (87), More than 50 Documentaries14 August : Shammi Kapoor (79) Actor (Kashmir Ki Kali, Junglee, Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Jaanwar, Brahmchari, Badtameez, Pagla Kahin Ka, Prince, Manoranjan )21 August : Shaandar Amarohi (68) (Kamaal Amarohi's elder son, Played a small role in Razia Sultan)4 September: Jagmohan Mundra (63), Director (Kamala, Bawandar, Provoked, Monsoon)13 September: Gautam Rajadhyaksha (61) Glamour Photographer/Writer, (Wrote Bekhudi and Anjaam )24 September: Surinder Kapoor (86),Producer (Wo Saat Din, Hum Paanch, Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan)30 October: K.K. Singh (55) Dialogue Writer (Raam Teri Ganga Maili, Krantiveer, Prem Rog Etc.)5 November: Bhupen Hazarika (85), Producer/Director/Singer/Music Director (Rudaali),10 October : Jagjit Singh (70), Singer/Music Director (Prem Geet, Saath Saath, Mirza Ghalib, Kahkashan)30 November: Pratap Sharma, Actor/Voice Over Artist (Aandolan, Phir Bhi, Pehla Kadam)3 December: Dev Anand (88 वर्ष), Producer/Director/Actor/Writer ( Baazi, Nau Do Gyarah, Hum Dono, Guide )compiled by Dharam Gulati

Jhakaas, Marathi film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating * * *

2012-01-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

Marathi Film ReviewJohnson ThomasA whacky entertaining comedyFilm: JhakaasCast: Ankush Chaudhari, Amruta Khanvilkar, Pooja Sawant,Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi,Pushkar Jog, Vikas Samudre, Sanjay Khapre, Jayawant Wadkar, Atul ParchureDirector: Ankush ChaudhariRating: * * *Taking the cue from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Golmaal’, ‘Rang Birangi’ and Kundan Shah’s ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’, Ankush Chaudhari frames a rib-tickling comedy about a man who manages to convince three women about his three different personas.. until he gets found out by the three women’s wannabe paramours.. until he gets found out by the three womens’ wannabe paramours. All hell breaks loose thereafter. Mix-ups galore with the three women ending up married to men tied-up in gunny sacks-each of them believing they are married to the man of their desire. ..It’s quite an improbable set-up but the free-wheeling treatment and superbly timed performances allow for suspension of disbelief. And once you get laughing you just don’t stop.Mistaken identities, cover-ups, masquerades and a lot of running around trying to be at the right place at the right time, allow for a whole lot of goof-ups and impromptu make-believe, enough to tickle your funny bone and keep you in splits. After the initial hick-up of a slightly un-assured opening, the narrative clicks along at a steady pace with plenty of sight gags, verbal and situational comic moments. Ankush Chaudhary as the man who cons three women, Sai Tamhankar playing a photographer, Amruta Khanvilkar-a spunky, spirited woman from the koli community and Puja Sawant, as the enterprising owner of an ad agency, puts on a good show, as do all his heroines and side-kick friend. There is no pretence to high-end intelligence here. For sure, Ankush Choudhary's debut directorial venture is one hell of a joy ride. It's a smartly orchestrated rib-tickler that gets you guffawing all the way to the end. Johnsont307@gmail.com

10 live action shorts advance in Oscar race, The Academy

2011-12-31T03:44:00.001-08:00

10 Live Action Shorts Advance in Oscar® RaceBeverly Hills, CA (December 14, 2011) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards®. One hundred seven pictures had originally qualified in the category.The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: “Je Pourrais Être Votre Grand-Mère (I Could Be Your Grandmother),” Bernard Tanguy, director-producer (Rézina Productions) “Love at First Sight,” Michael Davies, director and Sandra Gorel, producer (Spellbound Films) “Pentecost,” Peter McDonald, director (EMU Productions) “Raju,” Max Zähle, director and Stefan Gieren, producer (Hamburg Media School/Filmwerkstatt) “The Road Home,” Rahul Gandotra, director-producer and Ameenah Ayub, producer (London Film School) “The Roar of the Sea,” Ana Rocha Fernandes and Torsten Truscheit, directors (Niama Filmproduktion GmbH) “Sailcloth,” Elfar Adalsteins, director-producer (Berserk Films) “The Shore,” Terry George, director-producer (All Ashore Productions Limited) “Time Freak,” Andrew Bowler, director and Gigi Causey, producer (Team Toad) “Tuba Atlantic,” Hallvar Witzø, director (The Norwegian Film School/Den Norske Filmskolen)The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting in screenings held in Los Angeles. Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in January 2012.The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Sinbad and the Minotaur, Hollywood English Film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: *

2011-12-30T03:12:00.001-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasFilm: Sinbad and the Minotaur Cast: Manu Bennett, Holly brisley, Lily Brown, Steven Grives, Dimitri Beveas Director: Karl ZwickyRating: * This action, adventure, sci-fi fantasy written by Jim Noble has little to recommend it other than the cheap thrills associated with distinctly B grade fantasies. The film headlined by an Australian cast, is quite a mockery of sorts. Sinbad(Manu Bennett) steals a prized artefeact from Al Jibur(Steve Grives) in the hope that it will lead him to the golden head of the colossuss of Rhodes. But before he can achieve that he has to face up to a whole lot of action and adventure with some belly dancing women providing an amusing side-show before the real fight begins. The CGI is too obvious to be gratifying. The acting is poorly accomplished , the accents are just short of atrocious and the costumes look like they’ve come on rent. There’s no conviction here, neither is there any pretention at being something bigger and better than it is. Through a lot of blood and gore, and some overstated brutality, Sinbad’s experiences get creepier and creepier. There is no room for disappointment at all. Take it or leave it. If you are the kind who can sit through a costume drama that stretches along gingerly for a seemingly agonising length without much purchase or gratification, then this one is for you! johnsont307@gmail.com

Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows, English Hollywood film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

2011-12-30T03:08:00.001-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasA resplendent action-heavy espionage thrillerFilm: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of ShadowsCast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris,Stephen Fry,Paul Anderson, Kelly Reilly, Geraldine James, Eddie marsanDirector: Guy Ritchie Rating: * * *Warner Bros big screen version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is far more mythical and action oriented than it’s original creator imagined. The first edition directed by Guy Ritchie, while not being faithful to the original, made a neat packet at the Box-office thanks to some technical pizzazz and timely engineered heroics. That Sherlock Holmes played by Robert Downey Jr in his own inimitable ‘Iron Man’ style, having a Bond like gizmo friendliness, dilutes the original’s sharp intellect and esteemed mannerisms is a matter for the purists to argue about. Downey Jr’s. version is memorable alright , more so because of Guy Ritchie’s masterful machinations and story-telling pyrotechnics."A Game of Shadows," actually has Professor Moriarty(Jared Harris) appearing far more frequently and having much more significance in what transpires on Holmes and Watson(Jude Law) . Director Guy Ritchie's excesses and modern concessions add to the dramatic conflict and lead to a far more explosive actioner. Downey's eccentric Holmes in a face-off against Harris' Moriarty makes this movie far more rewarding than it’s predecessor. The plot is pretty much discontinuous with Holmes and Watson globetrotting accross Europe at a frenetic pace whilst escaping a string of bombings by a hairs breadth. Moriarty, a respected academic and author appears to have his fingers dug deep into the crimes that have been befalling Britain, France and Germany. And he has got something much bigger up his sleeve. It’s of course left to Sherlock Holmes to unravel those sinister plans in the nick of time. In the process he ends up losing his lady love Irene Adler(Rachel Mc Adams) and gaining a gypsy, Madam Simza Heron(Noomi Rapace) while also introducing us to his brother Mycroft Holmes(Stephen Fry). Watson ends up marrying mary(Kelly Reilly) against all odds and the homosexual undertones between Holmes and Watson also continue to reverberate in every look, dialogue and action between the two.. Ritchie used the slo-mo action technique to great entertaining effect in the first edition and he repeats it here too- though it comes just too often and right in between the furious action- enough to suck out some of the enjoyment.As Ritchie orchestrates it, the narrative is hyperactive and fulsome with events. But the plotting appears somewhat lazy and low brow. It’s as though all that style and piozzaz was meant to cover-up for the lack of solid content and involving mystery.Ritchie’s visual mechanics can only provide superficial thrills, there’s not much else to fluff-up the enjoyment!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy Hollywood English film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * * 1/2

2011-12-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

English film ReviewJohnson ThomasA tough nut to crackFilm: Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyCast: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Ciarrin Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Simon McBurney, Konstantin Khabenskiv, Laura CarmichaelDirector: Tomas AlfredsonRating: * * * ½ For those avid readers of John Le Carre’s tomes, this film is most likely to be like manna from heaven but for others who don’t, this film will be a tough to crack dark spy thriller with great mood ,moments, visuals but uneasy on the coherence. Helmer Tomas Alfredson’s technique is highly individualistic, his complex treatment well-aligned with the complicated spy-thriller bestseller and therefore highly stimulating to the senses- but that’s only if you are inclined to sit through the entire film with your brain working overtime to decipher the conversation and clues thereof.Scripted with precision by Peter Straughan ("The Men Who Stare at Goats") and his late wife Bridget O'Connor ("Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution”), Alfredson’s consummate narrative progresses with understated tension within a 120 odd minutes runtime. In fact the run of the narrative is as faithful as it can get, to the highly complex and eventful John Le Carre’s 1979 novel that spawned a successful 7 part mini-series on Television with Alec Guiness playing Smiley. The events remain unchanged but it’s flow has been tweaked and so have the locations. M16 is under threat, signs of a mole passing off crucial highly classified security information to the Russian side has suddenly been confirmed. The ex-Control’s (John Hurt)warnings now seem prophetic. Under secretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) recruits Smiley, a retired M16 operative who worked well with the Circus’s head before they assumed retirement. The clinching information comes from Ricki Tarr(Tom Hardy) whose liaison with a soviet spy Irina(Svetlana Khodchenkova) leads him to irrefutable clues of a mole. Using Circus agent, Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) considerable talents, Smiley begins the process of ferreting out the mole. Control had sent field agent Jim Prideaux(Mark Strong) on a secret mission to Budapest in an effort to uncover the mole but the mission ended with blood on his hands and his career was essentially over after that. The narrative begins with that episode and then moves on to Smiley’s search. In a flashback we are told that Control had essentially codenamed the five suspects according to an old nursery rhyme- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, poor man and Beggarman and it’s now Smiley’s turn to use those codes to crack the case!Since Le Carre’s novel is laden with verbosity, it wasn’t possible for a literal translation into celluloid. So the scriptwriters did the next best thing by cutting out most of the dialogues while creating visual clues that link incidents together and allow for a richer involvement without over-stepping on action set-pieces or blood and gore. The treatment therefore appears quite quaint, understated and old-fashioned in an era that prides itself on excess. The mood is melancholic, the crucial faces within the underplayed hysteria signifying remembered sorrow and pain. Oldman, Cumberbatch, Firth, Hurt, Kathy Burke, Hardy, Khodchenkova,Strong, all contribute to a brilliantly cast ensemble that lends strength and gravity to a narrative that avoids the obvious, making a play for a more restrained fulfilment!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Kya Yahi Sach Hai, Hindi Bollywood film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * *

2011-12-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film reviewJohnson ThomasSincere but not cinematicFilm: Kya Yahi Sach HaiCast: Rajiv Roda, Bobby Vats, Shalini Chandran, Saurab Dubey, Raju MavaniDirector: Y P Singh Rating: * * Former IPS officer, crusading lawyer(of Adarsh fame), and currently a filmmaker, YP Singh , the author of the novel released in 2003, ‘Carnage by Angels’ which forms the basis for this film- a semi-autobiographical expose on the rampant corruption and malpractices within the police force, takes a huge gamble towards creating an awareness about the ills affecting the so called protectors of the justice system. By taking on the onus of scripting, directing and promoting this film along with his wife Abha Singh, the former IPS officer looks to have taken on much more than even he could handle. Filmmaking is after all a creative effort and it takes much more than plain missionary zeal to put the point across to an audience.This film, as in the novel, deals with how an honest Police Officer belonging to the IPS cadre is severely humiliated by the perpetrators of corruption in an effort to silence his crusade of cleansing the police force and stemming it’s decaying ethical and moral fibre.Raghu Kumar (Rajiv Roda) a young trainee Indian Police Service (IPS) officer as part of his initial training, has to cycle patrol the streets. The head constable assigned to the training stint confides in him about the process involved in gaining the ear of the higher-ups in the force. An incident where a senior police officer’s wife’s necklace is snatched by a bearer at a party is then recited while the tragedy behind that act is detailed in gory fashion. The incident propels the young officer and his wife to take an oath of not being party to any such omission and commission of corruption from henceforth. That promise proves to be too costly as the IPS officer finds himself and his moral code of ethics taking a severe beating under the nexus of police, bureaucrats, power-brokers and politicians under the cover of administrative sophistication. Raghu’s stints in interior Maharashtra brings about immense goodwill for him, from the public. But also alienates him from the higher-ups whose purse-strings appear to have shrunk from Raghu’s interference. He is therefore transferred to Mumbai but even there he makes an enemy of the business/broker mafia who engineer his transfer to the State Reserve Police force training division from where he was ultimately stripped of all that he held dear to his heart.The Story involves a tragedy that is never experienced. If truth be told, tbe film lacks a sense of drama and the tension is barely discernable. The emphasis on protocol and procedure, while interesting to a History and civics student , isn’t likely to enthuse a lay audience. Even the tragedy that befalls the upright IPS officer protagonist comes across as manipulative. The filmmaker makes it clear that this work is fictional but the pre-release promotions and his own statements given to the press speak of deliberate similarities to his own experiences in the force. The entire narrative spiel is weighed down by intricate detail of processes that govern decision making within the complicated bureaucracy and political class and in doing so ,Y.P.Singh appears to have lost the plot entirely. There is little enjoyment to be had in the lazy narrative that sprouts boring songs and lacklustre item numbers at approximately fifteen minute intervals. We never see Raghu as anything more than a cardboard crusader. His few interactions with his wife (Shalini Chandran) are also concerned with Police business. So Raghu’s inner dilemmas are never explored and neither are those of the corrupt. They all appear as villains with nothing more to do than manipulate the system for their own gain. As far as the expose of corruption within the force is concerned we’ve seen it all done in several Bollywood films, so there is nothing new to be had here in that respect. The treatment is decidedly different yes-but it’s also the film’s weakest link. The screenplay/narration unnecessarily highlights the inconsequential, thus couching the central plot and theme in a packaging that is decidedly unviable. The subject also comes across as uninteresting. The dramatic conflicts are missing and there is little emotive connect to be experienced. Singh’s effort to involve people with connections in the police, like Bobby Vats, who plays IPS Rohit Tiwary is effective enough but the central role assayed by Rajiv Roda is too one-dimensional and is assay is far too stiff to curry sympathy. The performances overall, are quite unremarkable. The grain of truth fails to sprout a revolution. If only there was a better scriptwriter, director and seasoned performers doing the honors...Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Descendants, the Tree of Life, A Seperation, Beginners, Hugo, city of Life and death, Drive look to make a mark at the OSCARs too

2011-12-29T06:54:00.001-08:00

Descendants' named best picture by LAFCAMalick gets best director nod for 'Tree,' 'Rango' wins for best animationBy Justin ChangChastainChastainPlummerPlummerFassbenderFassbender'Rango''Rango''The Descendants''The Descendants'Fassbender'Tree of Life'Fox Searchlight's Hawaii-set comedy-drama "The Descendants" was named best picture of the year Sunday by the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn., marking the third time an Alexander Payne-directed film has prevailed in this category, after 2002's "About Schmidt" and 2004's "Sideways."The choice marked a come-from-behind victory in spirited voting that had initially favored another Searchlight release, "The Tree of Life," which took honors for director Terrence Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and was the runner-up for picture.It's the seventh L.A. crix win overall for Payne, who now stands as the most-feted filmmaker in the group's history. He previously won the director prize for "Sideways"; two screenplay awards (shared with co-writer Jim Taylor) for "Sideways" and "About Schmidt"; and the group's 1999 New Generation prize (also shared with Taylor) for "Election."Selection of "The Descendants" marked the first best-picture critics' prize for "The Descendants" in a season dominated so far by "The Artist," which was feted by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Assn. and the Boston Film Critics Society, which also announced its winners Sunday.Martin Scorsese was the director runner-up for Paramount's "Hugo," which drew an award for Dante Ferretti's production design.With 34 LAFCA members present at the voting meeting and 14 proxy ballots, the group spread its choices around, especially with two awards that honored thesps for their work in multiple 2011 releases. Michael Fassbender was named top actor for his performances in four films ("A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame" and "X-Men: First Class") while Jessica Chastain was crowned supporting actress for six pics ("Coriolanus," "The Debt," "The Help," "Take Shelter," "Texas Killing Fields" and "The Tree of Life").Yun Jung-hee received the actress laurels for her performance in Kino Intl. drama "Poetry," marking the second year in a row the L.A. crix have bestowed the prize on a Korean thesp (the prize went to Kim Hye-ja last year for "Mother"). Christopher Plummer drew the supporting-actor nod for his work in Focus Features' "Beginners."The critics voted the screenplay prize to Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi for "A Separation," repping the first time in the group's history that a foreign-language script has won the honor. The Sony Classics drama was the runner-up in the foreign-language film category, however, placing second to Kino's "City of Life and Death," a chronicle of the 1937-38 Nanjing massacre from Chinese director Lu Chuan.Werner Herzog's 3D docu "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," an IFC release, took the org's documentary/nonfiction prize, while the critics bestowed their animation prize on Paramount's "Rango." Par also released the runner-up in the toon category, Steven Spielberg's motion-capture adventure "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn."Two non-orchestral scores were the top vote-getters in LAFCA's music/score category; the award was voted to the Chemical Brothers for Focus Features' "Hanna," while Cliff Martinez was the runner-up for FilmDistrict's "Drive."Another Fox Searchlight title, "Martha Marcy May Marlene," drew the group's New Generation prize, awarded to writer-director Sean Durkin, Borderline Films producers Antonio Campos and Josh Mond, and actress Elizabeth Olsen.AFI Film Festival entry "Spark of Being," a found-footage take on the "Frankenstein" myth from avant-garde filmmaker Bill Morrison, received the Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video award.Runners-up in other categories were Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter" (actor); Kirsten Dunst, "Melancholia" (actress); Patton Oswalt, "Young Adult" (supporting actor); Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs" (supporting actress); Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants" (screenplay); "The Arbor" (docu/nonfiction); Cao Yu, "City of Life and Death" (cinematography); and Maria Djurkovic, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (production design).The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. will hand out its prizes on Jan. 13 at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City.List of winners:• Foreign-language film--"City of Life and Death" / Runner-up: "A Separation"• Best Picture-- "The Descendants" / Runner-up: "The Tree of Life"• Animation-- "Rango" / Runner-up: "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn"• Best Director-- Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"/ Runner-up: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"• Best Actor-- Michael Fassbender, "A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame," "X-Men: First Class" / Runner-up: Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"• Best Actress-- Yun Jung-hee, "Poetry" / Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst, "Melancholia"• Documentary/Nonfiction-- "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" / Runner-up: "The Arbor"• Best Screenplay-- Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation" / Runner-up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"• Best Supporting Actor-- Christopher Plummer, "Beginners" / Runner-up: Patton Oswalt, "Young Adult"• Best Supporting Actress-- Jessica Chastain, "Coriolanus," "The Debt," "The Help," "Take Shelter," "Texas Killing Fields," "The Tree of Life" / Runner-up: Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"• Best Cinematography-- Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree of Life" / Runner-Up: Cao Yu, "City of Life and Death"• Best Production Design-- Dante Ferretti, "Hugo" / Runner-up: Maria Djurkovic, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"• Best Music/Score-- The Chemical Brothers, "Hanna" / Runner-up: Cliff Martinez, "Drive"• Best Independent/Experimental-- "Spark of Being"

Best Foreign language film contenders at the Oscars

2011-12-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

osted: Mon., Dec. 12, 2011, 4:00am PTFests get kicks from kudosEye on the Oscars: Foreign LanguageBy Elsa Keslassy, Nick Vivarelli'Pina''Pina''Beauty''Beauty''Where Do We Go Now''Where Do We Go Now''Footnote''Footnote''Once Upon A Time in Anatolia''Once Upon A Time in Anatolia'This year's list of foreign-language film Oscar contenders includes a goodly number of pics that world preemed at major Europe-based international film festivals.While the Academy's choices sometimes confuse or irritate fest programmers, getting the Oscar seal of approval remains a validation they made the right decisions.For Dieter Kosslick, Berlin Film Festival topper, seeing three pics that opened at his fest -- "Pina," "The Turin Horse" and "A Separation" -- contending for an Oscar nom is a positive signal in itself."An Oscar is not only the highest film award in the U.S., it's one of the biggest prizes the international film community has; and it has a real commercial impact on a film," he says. "This year's Berlin selection had drawn some criticism and I'm happy to see that nine months later we're getting some confirmation that we actually had a great lineup."But considering the difference in taste between Europeans and the American (foreign-language Oscar) voters, it's a tough task for national committees to second-guess the film that has the best chance to win, says Olivier Pere, Locarno Film Festival director.The Cannes Film Festival has often screened films that went on to become Oscar entries and this year is no exception: Lebanon and South Africa are repped by Un Certain Regard players "Where Do We Go Now" and "Beauty," respectively. Turkey's "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia," Israel's "Footnote" and Finland's "Le Havre" all bowed in competition at Cannes.But Cannes' penchant for pure auteur films doesn't always mesh well with foreign-language Oscar voters' tastes. Last year, for instance, Gaul's selection committee, which includes the fest's topper Thierry Fremaux, had chosen the fest's Grand Prize winner, Xavier Beauvois' "Of Gods and Men," to represent France at the Oscars, but pic failed to make it into the short list, in spite of being a critics' darling. However, a French majority co-production, Algerian entry "Outside the Law," which opened at Cannes in competition and had a more mainstream streak than "Men," made the cut.This year, Gaul's committee picked "Declaration of War," an uplifting drama from thesp-turned-helmer Valerie Donzelli that didn't open at the festival but instead bowed at Cannes Critics' Week, which runs concurrently with the fest.Jean-Christophe Berjon, former topper of Critics' Week, who had picked "Declaration of War," says the film might be too unconventional and audacious to seduce Academy voters."The designated committee that votes for foreign-language films is mostly made up of aging or retired Hollywood folks who favor features that aren't necessarily the most daring and tends to go for films that have a big emotional or narrative component and a significant crossover appeal," says Berjon, who is now the audiovisual attache at the French Embassy in Mexico.Yet, as Giorgio Gosetti, artistic director of Venice Days, the independently run section of the Venice Film Festival, points out, "in recent years, the foreign film Oscar has been a real lottery, totally unpredictable, based on so many variables.""When Japanese film 'Departures' won in 2009, the feeling I had was that they were trying to surprise us, to show us that they, too could be intellectual snobs, or at least exotic, in the face of all our European prejudices that the foreign Oscar committee just went for the world's more mainstream quality movies," says Gosetti, who had selected Canadian helmer Denis Villeneuve's "Incendies." It scored a foreign Oscar nom last year, for Venice Days.While most fest programmers claim the Oscar is the last thing on their minds when they choose films, Pere says he thinks differently."Maybe in Europe we have a different perception and are less concerned or obsessed about the Oscars. But at Locarno we are very careful about selecting a certain number of films that can get international attention, and especially that are able to be appreciated by critics, audiences, and other festivals around the world."Pere notes that the Piazza Grande programming is geared toward quality mainstream arthouse films that can have a career overseas and, especially, in America.According to Tribeca Film Festival artistic director Frederic Boyer, who tapped Karl Markovics' debut feature "Breathing" (Austria's Oscar race entry this year) for the Directors' Fortnight when he headed that org, whether it's the festival, Critics' Week or Directors' Fortnight, each is a crucial launchpad for auteur films.Kosslick, however, says premiering a film in an international festival such as Berlin (or Cannes, Venice, Locarno, San Sebastian and Sundance) certainly underscores its potential. "But I can't say I'm responsible for positioning films for Oscar attention -- the directors, producers and distributors deserve all the credit for that."Per Jean-Charles Tesson, a film journo who has replaced Berjon as topper of Critics' Week, the Oscar voters undoubtedly pay attention to what Cannes and other top European film festivals do because over the years, these festivals have introduced and celebrated international filmmakers and thesps, including American newcomers, who went on to gain recognition in their homeland."The Academy wants to make sure it honors films and auteurs who go on to mark history, alongside the more mainstream pics," says Tesson.In recent years, Kosslick, for instance, has selected "Monster's Ball" and "Monster," both of which earned their respective leading actresses, Halle Berry and Charlize Theron, Oscar nods.And it works both ways, says Tesson. "The Academy can sometimes make choices that can been perceived as too academic or consensual but its judgment matters enormously because it reflects the way Hollywood sees foreign cinema."As Gosetti points out, "With perhaps more films segueing from festivals to Oscar prospects I think we all need to realize that festivals need to make the most of this opportunity."

The iron lady, The Skin I Live In- Two movies to look forward to in 2012

2011-12-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

THE IRON LADY - 06 January 2012http://www.theironladymovie.co.ukCAST:Margaret Thatcher - Meryl StreepDenis Thatcher - Jim BroadbentCarol Thatcher - Olivia ColmanGeoffrey Howe - Anthony HeadMichael Heseltine - Richard E. GrantGordon Reece - Roger AllamAirey Neave - Nicholas FarrellYoung Margaret Thatcher - Alexandra RoachYoung Denis Thatcher - Harry LloydCREW:Director - Phyllida LloydProducer - Damian JonesWriter - Abi MorganProduction Designer - Simon ElliottSet Decorator - Annie GilhoolyDirector of Photography - Elliot DavisCasting Director - Nina GoldEditor - Justine WrightCostume Designer - Consolata BoylePersonal make-up and hair to Ms Streep - J. Roy HellandMake-up and Hair Designer - Marese LanganProsthetic Make-Up Designer - Mark CoulierOriginal Score – Thomas NewmanSupervising Sound Editor and Designer - Nigel StoneProduction Sound Mixer - Danny HambrookSound Mixing - Tim Cavagin, Craig Irving & Nigel StoneVFX Supervisor – Angela BarsonVFX Producer - Lucy Ainsworth-TaylorCo Producers - Anita Overland And Colleen WoodcockExecutive Producers - François Ivernel Cameron McCracken Tessa Ross and Adam KulickTHE IRON LADY is a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the first and only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. One of the 20th Century’s most famous and influential women, Lady Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world.The film, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, imagines the former Prime Minister looking back on her momentous life, exploring the sacrifices made in pursuit of power and what is left when power recedes.'Meryl is amazing, magnificent, awesome, flawless' Deborah Ross - The Spectator‘An excellent and thought-provoking film” India Knight - The Sunday TimesBy: Phyllida LloydWith: Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher), Jim Broadbent (Denis Thatcher), Richard E. Grant (Michael Heseltine)THE SKIN I LIVE IN - 26 August 2011CASTAntonio Banderas - Robert LedgardElena Anaya - VeraMarisa Paredes - MariliaJan Cornet - VicenteRoberto Álamo - ZecaEduard Fernández - FulgencioBlanca Suárez - NormaSusi Sánchez - Vicente’s motherBárbara Lennie - CristinaFernando Cayo - Doctorand José Luis Gómez - President of the Biotechnology InstituteCREWDirector - Pedro AlmodóvarScreenplay - Pedro Almodóvar, with the collaboration of Agustín Almodóvar and based on “Mygale” by Thierry Jonquet, Éditions GallimardProducers - Agustín Almodóvar & Esther GarcíaComposer - Alberto IglesiasEditor - José SalcedoCinematographer - José Luis AlcaineArt Director - Antxon GómezAssociate Producer - Bárbara PeiróDirector of Production - Toni NovellaSound - Iván MarínSound Editor - Pelayo GutiérrezMixer - Marc OrtsMake-up - Karmele SolerHair - Manolo CarreteroWardrobe - Paco Delgado, with the collaboration of Jean-Paul GaultierWith THE SKIN I LIVE IN, acclaimed director Pedro Almodovar is reunited with three of his previous collaborators: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya and Marisa Paredes.A brilliant plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas), haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig, a mysterious and volatile woman (Elena Anaya), holds the key to his obsession...'Banderas is terrific' Wendy Ide - The The Times'Riveting, unique and unforgettable' Boyd Hilton – HeatBy: Pedro AlmodovarWith: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya

38 witnesses to open Rotterdam film fest on Jan 25, 2012

2011-12-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

Belvaux's '38 Witnesses' to open RotterdamFest closes with Willem Dafoe starrer 'The Hunter'By Ian Mundell'38 temoins''38 temoins'The world preem of helmer Lucas Belvaux's crime drama "38 temoins" (38 Witnesses) will open the Rotterdam Film Festival on Jan. 25.Based on a novel by Didier Decoin, pic revolves around Louise (Sophie Quinton), who returns home after a business trip to discover her street was the scene of a crime. Initially there appear to be no witnesses, but over time she learns that 38 people heard or saw something that night, including her husband Pierre (Yvan Attal).It's the eighth feature from the Belgian helmer, who works mainly out of France, and his second collaboration with Attal after kidnap drama "Rapt" in 2009.World sales are handled by Films Distribution, with Diaphana set to distribute in Gaul.Rotterdam closes Feb. 4 with helmer Daniel Nettheim's psychological drama "The Hunter," starring Willem Dafoe as a mercenary, sent by a shadowy biotech company to Australia to hunt the last Tasmanian tiger. Based on the eponymous novel by "Sleeping Beauty" helmer Julia Leigh, pic preemed at the Toronto Film Festival.

Oscar Contenders 2012

2011-12-29T06:23:00.001-08:00

Adalbert's Dream- Romanian Film Festival Pick, Variety

2011-12-29T06:21:00.000-08:00

Adalbert's DreamVisul lui Adalbert(Romania)By Ronnie Scheib'Adalbert's Dream''Adalbert's Dream'Watchit_buttonAdd_to_queue_mini_offA Green Film, 4 Proof Film production. (International sales: Green Film, Bucharest.) Produced by Gabriel Achim, Monica Lazurean-Gorgan. Executive producer, Achim. Directed by Gabriel Achim. Screenplay, Achim, Cosmin Manolache.With: Gabriel Spahiu, Doru Ana, Alina Berzunteanu, Ozana Oancea, Anca Androne, Nicodim Ungureanu.Tyro Romanian helmer Gabriel Achim follows the fortunes of a scrawny worker-safety engineer over the course of a fateful day in the '80s-set black comedy "Adalbert's Dream." Achim shoots in Academy format to match the 16mm and videocamera ratios of the government films-within-the-film concocted by the hero and his division, who blame the workers themselves for all industrial accidents. "Dream" eschews the distanced absurdism of much Romanian New Wave fare, embracing the scramblings and limitations of a purely proletarian p.o.v. -- depicting the shady dealings, barters and compromises required for survival in a repressive society. Satiric slice-of-lifer could spark arthouse interest.Unprepossessing-looking Iulica (Gabriel Spahiu), through optimism, opportunism and a lively sense of humor, has navigated a narrow margin of freedom between the demands of his worrywart wife (Alina Berzunteanu) and the assorted pitfalls of his government job. He has forged a strong relationship with his young son, and picked up a sometimes-mistress (Ozana Oancea), the victim of a mishap he visually documented. Additionally, at work, he has managed to get on the good side of his boss (Doru Ana), who gladly turns a blind eye to his workmen's various sidelines and irregularities - as long as his own ass is covered.A propitious day dawns on May 8, 1986, awash in the euphoria of Bucharest's miraculous soccer victory over Barcelona to cinch the European Cup, Iulica following the action on tv and making a tape for his boss on his contraband VCR. But the day also marks the 65th anniversary of the Romanian Communist Party and the unspooling of two films Iulica has created for the festivities. His boss is anxious to prescreen Iuica's work to certify that it's free of Party-deviant content. But a series of comic detours prevents the duo from any preemptive measures and the screening proceeds apace.One of the offerings, which includes the camera zooming in on a woman applying makeup, staring into a mirror with accident-damaged, mismatched eyes, comes off like a weirdly experimental version of the dry, affectless reconstructions of casualties seen in the actual government films that helmer Achim intersperses throughout. Iulica's other effort, fancifully called "Adalbert's Dream," casting a woman with a mustache in the title role and featuring an enormous tool floating midair, represents a deliberately arty variation on the industrial safety film and proves an unexpected, potentially disastrous hit as workers explode in gales of laughter.But before the outraged VIPs can respond, a brand new accident galvanizes the factory and Iulica's team swings into action to restage events, very much in the vein of Lucian Pintile's 1970 Romanian masterpiece "The Reenactment."From the grainy tv-coverage of the soccer game, the black-and-white clarity of the government safety films, the hand-held chaos of as-yet unedited workplace disasters, to occasionally surrealistic, folk-tale imagery (a fox, grabbed by its tail and instantly "skinned" while entering a henhouse), "Dream" examines the various modes of representation during the last years of Ceausescu's reign where any attempts to accurately record events were strictly verboten.Camera (color, HD, S-VHS, Beta SP, 16mm, 8mm), George Chiper-Lillemark; editors, Cristian Nicolescu, Stefan Tatu; production designer, Vali Ighigheanu; costume designer, Luminita Mihai; sound designer (Dolby Digital), Dan-Stefan Rucareanu, Filip Muresan, Vlad Voinescu; casting, Viorica Capdefier. Reviewed at Romanian Film Festival in New York, Dec. 4, 2011. Running time: 98 MIN.Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Breaking Dawn Part 1- The Twilight Saga, Hollywood English film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * *

2011-12-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

English Film reviewJohnson ThomasEnervating sequel Film: Breaking Dawn Part 1/The Twilight sagaCast:

Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Renser, Jackson Rathbone, Anadou Ly, Ty Olsson, Wendell PierceDirector: Bill CondonRating: * *The Twilight Saga has entered it’s penultimate round with Breaking Dawn part 1. Melissa Rosenberg and Stephanie Meyer, the screenwriters for this bloody Vampire saga, has Bella(Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robertson) firmly on the path to wedded bliss albeit with some life-threatening twists to make the route more interesting and possibly entertaining.The Bella-Edward saga is nearing it’s end and the hot couple on screen and in real life make the most of their charmed existence. If their on screen wedding after a few hollow starts culminates in a ceremony then their honeymoon is what takes one over to the most dangerous and darkest part of the movie. Even before the honeymoon is over Bella is pregnant and the rapidly forming foetus feeds on her nutrient leaving her emancipated and too weak to go the distance. Edward has to turn Bella before she can deliver his child. So the event is stretched long enough to milk tension and empathy from an audience which is already in default mode watching the gory beginnings of the birth of the baby vampire. Bella Swan kisses abstinence and mortality goodbye and the vampires and werewolves are plunged into despair until ...The visuals are tacky and off-putting. The story doen’t move very much forward preferring to play on with the Vampire versus werewolf theme until the central focus shifts to Bella’s fight to deliver her child and Edward’s to keep her alive. The film is short on thrills and excessive on bloody gore. So the resultant reaction is expectedly negative. Kristen lives her role well, Edward is suitably morose and repentant and the rest of the vampires and werewolves do their best to keep the story going. So whther we want it or not we’ve got to await the part 2 of this edition. It’s not going to be a happy wait though!Johnsont307@gmail.com

One Day, English Hollywood film Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * 1/2

2011-12-24T03:19:00.000-08:00

English Film reviewJohnson ThomasRomance, too tediousFilm: One DayCast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Scott, Ramola Garai, Rafe SpallDirector: Lone ScherfigRating: * ½Directed by Lone Scherfig with screenplay by David Nicholls, based on his book, this “one Day’ every year beginning July 15, 1988, their college graduation, in the life of Emma Morley(Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew(Jim Sturgess) Hathaway is of little emotional value. The narrative starts on the abovementioned date and straggles back and forth for a bit before clearing out the backlog of dates waiting to be chronicled. Why is July 15 so important that we have to sit through a whole boring and uneventful(up till the last reel) narrative that intentionally takes us through several years of the same date? Well it’s because the two principal characters first started to explore each other. 1998 was their graduation year and on the spur of the moment they end up in bed together only to decide not to make out. They spend the day after together, want to get into bed this time consciously but Dex’s parents appear before time and spook them apart. Next when Emma moves into her new rented apartment she calls on Dex’s help. Again they separate without consummating their relationship until Dex returns to her after his divorce. The story continues. Neither wants to put a foot forward to take their relationship to the next level preferring to be phone friends while each indulges in his/her fantasies. More so Dex.It’s always only a small part of the day that we’re given a glimpse of. Some years are skipped and some days are delineated by just a few seconds of contact between the two. The exposition is sedentary and we never get involved with the two characters as they themselves appear unable to expose their true feelings for each other. So when the narrative comes to the point where they declare their love for each other we’re just not bothered to care. Soon enough they hit a curve, there’s an accident and someone is left behind to pick up the pieces. The movie doesn’t end there though. By then the entire narration feels uninteresting and mostly anti-climatic. The shmarmy music and biased cinematography make the entire experience even more alien. The performances though solid, don’t really enliven the characters as they very much needed to. It’s romance alright, but all so tediously orchestrated that you’d rather you wern’t watching it!Johnsont307@gmail.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alvin and the Chipmunks 3:Chipwrecked, Hollywood english film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * *s

2011-12-24T02:22:00.000-08:00

English Film ReviewJohnson ThomasDelusional Anime Film:

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Rating: * *Alvin and the chipmunks’ series have gone from bad to worse with this new issue, ‘Cihipwrecked.’ The screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, based on the characters created by Ross Bagdasarian, and Janice Karman is quite lacklustre and is devoid of any fun moments. This is basically a film about singing chipmunks who get shipwrecked on a seemingly unpopulated island. The Chipmunks and Chipettes, Alvin(Justin long), Simon(Mathew Gray Gubler), and Theodore(Jess McCartney), are supposed to perform at the International Music Awards, so they take a cruise there, but Alvin ruins it by getting them all stranded on a desert island instead. . In trying to save them, Dave and the boys' long-time nemesis, Ian (David Cross), working as the ship's pelican mascot, grab a paraglider and fly off after them. The incorrigible singing rodents stranded with female Chipettes, struggling for survival and making life miserable for the long-suffering David Seville (Jason Lee), their human care-taker forms the central plot. Then there are sub-plots which involve a dance competition, skating on the deck of a cruise ship, fighting over a mango and many more such innocuous events that not only strain credibility but also test your adult patience. Kids may just about adjust to the color scheme and cutesy look of the characters but their accumulated antics are just about insufferable.The CGI is impressive enough but not quite sufferable. How cute can a rodent get? Watching rodents doing their jig and creating havoc with their individual disturbed personalities is not nearly funny enough. Chipwrecked is never mearly as interesting as it sounds and that’s mainly because the entire run of play overdoses on madness. In addition to Alvin's evident personality disorder, Simon suffers messianic delusions and Theodore is an imbecile; the Chipettes, too follow with look and act like rodent hookers. The experience is affecting alright but in a wholly negative way. There’s nary a laugh to be had and the events are all so tediously crafted that one would be left scratching their heads wondering what’s wrong with them . Certainly not an happy outing for kids, leave alone adults!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Sundance film festival news

2011-12-23T11:15:00.001-08:00

Sundance fest adds four picsStars include Sean Penn, Jesse Eisenberg,Tracy Morgan, Paul GiamattiBy Justin ChangeisenbergJesse Eisenberg and Tracy Morgan star in Philip Dorling and Ron Nyswaner's 'Predisposed.'john'John Dies at the End,' starring Paul Giamatti, will premiere at the Park City at Midnight sidebar at Sundance."Predisposed," a comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo and Tracy Morgan, is one of four features added to the lineup of the 28th annual Sundance Film Festival.The writing-directing debut of Philip Dorling and Ron Nyswaner, "Predisposed" will bow in the festival's starry Premieres lineup. Centered around a piano prodigy and a hapless drug dealer, pic also features Sarah Ramos and Isiah Whitlock Jr.The Park City at Midnight sidebar will see the world premiere of "John Dies at the End," the latest supernatural thriller scripted and helmed by horror maven Don Coscarelli ("Bubba Ho-Tep"). Adapted from David Wong's novel about a drug called soy sauce that enables time travel, the pic features Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman and Allison Weissman.Sundance has had a number of high-profile, last-minute program additions in recent years, including Miranda July's "The Future" and Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are All Right."Paolo Sorrentino's Sean Penn starrer "This Must Be the Place," a Weinstein Co. pickup, and Joachim Trier's drug-addiction drama "Oslo, August 31st" have been added to Sundance's Spotlight slate reserved for world-cinema favorites. Both pics premiered at Cannes in May.The Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 19-29.

The critics choice for awards

2011-12-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

Critics stick with 'The Artist'Though acclaim and kudos rarely align, this year's more black and whiteBy Christy Grosz'The Artist'Crix stick with 'The Artist.'Critical acclaim has never been the most reliable bellwether for Oscar glory, but the flurry of end-of-year choices by critics groups offers some insight into the films that have awards momentum.With nearly 20 groups having already announced -- and at least a dozen left to come -- one thing has become abundantly clear: Critics like "The Artist." A lot.The Boston, Indiana, Las Vegas, New York and San Diego orgs have been charmed enough by the black-and-white pic to give it top honors. In fact, with a total of seven so far, Michel Haznavicius' "The Artist" has earned more best-picture nods from critics groups than other Oscar contenders like "The Descendants" (four: Houston, Los Angeles, Florida and Southeastern), "The Tree of Life" (four: African-American Film Critics, San Francisco, Toronto and Chicago) and "Hugo" (one: the National Board of Review).A lack of recognition for "The Help," which is still considered a very viable contender for Oscar, points to the disconnect between critics and Academy voters. The film is a virtual lock for a best picture Oscar nom and continues to collect kudos for Viola Davis, yet this broad-based drama that earned almost $170 million at the box office is a little too conventional for critics.Despite the notion that critics are out of touch with the Oscar vote, the groups' ancillary categories reveal some definite consensus.For his menacing turn in "Drive," Albert Brooks has earned 10 best supporting actor nods from critics groups -- more than any other thesp in any category. The lack of a SAG nomination has been his only weakness on the way to an Academy Awards berth. Christopher Plummer has earned five critics picks for his role in "Beginners," plus the SAG nom.The kudos for lead actor have been much more spread around, with Michael Fassbender ("Shame"), Michael Shannon ("Take Shelter") and George Clooney ("The Descendants") earning three apiece and Brad Pitt ("Moneyball," "Tree of Life") at two.Lead actress kudos have gone to Michelle Williams six times for "My Week With Marilyn," followed closely by Tilda Swinton for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady," each at three. Viola Davis has been tapped by two groups for "The Help."Supporting actresses Jessica Chastain (for multiple roles) and Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants") have been named in four critics announcements. "Bridesmaids" supporting actress Melissa McCarthy continues on the roll she started at the Emmys in September, earning three critics nods so far. "The Help's" Octavia Spencer has been tapped twice.And while the cinematography category isn't usually at the top of handicappers' lists, one name has dominated for critics: "Tree of Life" d.p. Emmanuel Lubezki has been tapped for his work 11 times.Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.comGuest, HERE ARE OTHER ARTICLES RECOMMEND

London Critics circle -leading contenders

2011-12-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

Tinker,' 'Drive' lead London Critics' Circle race'Separation,' 'Kevin' nab five noms eachBy Diana LodderhoseLONDON -- Brit espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and Ryan Gosling starrer "Drive" lead the 32nd London Critics' Circle race, receiving six nominations each.Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker Tailor" received noms for film, British film, screenwriter (Peter Straughn and Bridget O'Connor from John Le Carre's tome), actor (Gary Oldman), British actor (Oldman) and the technical achievement award for production designer Maria Djurkovic."Drive," helmed by Nicolas Winding Refn, is nominated for film of the year, director, actor (Gosling), supporting actor (Albert Brooks), British actress (Carey Mulligan) and technical achievement for Cliff Martinez's original score for the pic.Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation" and Lynne Ramsay's "We Need to Talk About Kevin" each received five noms, with the former nominated for foreign language pic and the latter nominated for British film of the year.Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist" and Steve McQueen's "Shame" each received four nominations with "The Artist" nominated in the film category and "Shame" nominated in the British film section.Additionally, Nicholas Roeg will be awarded the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film.The London Critics' Circle Film Awards unspools on Jan. 19, 2012 at the BFI Southbank.The full list of nominations are as follows:FILM OF THE YEARThe Artist (Entertainment)Drive (Icon)A Separation (Artificial Eye)Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Studiocanal)The Tree of Life (Fox)THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD: BRITISH FILM OF THE YEARThe Guard (Studiocanal)Kill List (Studiocanal)Shame (Momentum)Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Studiocanal)We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEARMysteries of Lisbon (New Wave)Poetry (ICO/Arrow)Le Quattro Volte (New Wave)A Separation (Artificial Eye)The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé)DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEARCave of Forgotten Dreams (Picturehouse)Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof)Pina (Artificial Eye)Project Nim (Icon)Senna (Universal)DIRECTOR OF THE YEARAsghar Farhadi - A Separation (Artificial Eye)Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist (Entertainment)Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life (Fox)Lynne Ramsay - We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive (Icon)SCREENWRITER OF THE YEARAsghar Farhadi - A Separation (Artificial Eye)Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist (Entertainment)Kenneth Lonergan - Margaret (Fox)Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Studiocanal)Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash - The Descendants (Fox)THE VIRGIN ATLANTIC AWARD: BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKERRichard Ayoade - Submarine (Studiocanal)Paddy Considine - Tyrannosaur (Studiocanal)Joe Cornish - Attack the Block (Studiocanal)Andrew Haigh - Weekend (Peccadillo)John Michael McDonagh - The Guard (Studiocanal)ACTOR OF THE YEARGeorge Clooney - The Descendants (Fox)Jean Dujardin - The Artist (Entertainment)Michael Fassbender - Shame (Momentum)Ryan Gosling - Drive (Icon)Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Studiocanal)ACTRESS OF THE YEARKirsten Dunst - Melancholia (Artificial Eye)Anna Paquin - Margaret (Fox)Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé)Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEARSimon Russell Beale - The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)Albert Brooks - Drive (Icon)Christopher Plummer - Beginners (Universal)Michael Smiley - Kill List (Studiocanal)SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

Don 2:The king is back, Hindi Bollywood film review,Johnson Thomas, Rating: * *

2011-12-23T03:19:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film reviewJohnson ThomasA long drawn YawrnFilm: Don 2: The king is backCast: Boman Irani, Shahrukh Khan, Aly Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Om PuriDirector: Farhan Akhtar

Rating: * *The promos looked sleek and impressive and Shah Rukh’s cultivated long-haired chiselled look brought in eyeballs by the bags ful. But the film doesn’t really live up to those heightened expectations. In fact the film fasils to drum up pace, tension or interest even in the telling. Don 2 is intended as an action thriller . The film has been directed byFarhan Akhtar who has had a gap of nearly 5 years since his last project, incidentally ‘Don-The Chase begins again’ This film is a sequel of that, and stars Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra as lead characters. This film also marks Khan's return to playing villainous characters since his earlier films like Darr and Baazigar. Don 2 is in fact the first sequel in Khan's two-decade long career. ‘Don, ‘ the precursor was a nostalgia driven enterprise with a fresh twist, a superstar face and a someone who was being considered a whiz director at it’s helm, to propel it into a money-spinner. ‘Don 2’ though , appears to be a calculated move with not much story to tell but a whole lot of commercial aspirations riding on it. Shot mostly in Thailand, Malaysia,Singapore and Germany, this film project looks to take the Shah Rukh Mystique beyond it’s traditional boundaries. Germany has already been won over so the Berlin setting must be a sort of homage to Shah Rukh’s international fans. Thailand and Singapore are familiar sights in Bollywood films and Shah Rukh’s outing there seems to have a long term motive of generating new fans from the south Asian block in order to shore up the losses from his existing base. Considering that such intricate planning with intent to generate adequate commercial reciepts has gone into the making of this sequel, it might just work-in the returns.. Unfortunately the film doesn’t. There is very little to thrill in Don 2. The opening sequence is so dry and uneventful that you almost go supine. The film opens with Shah Rukh’s voiceover detailing a brief of Don’s current position in the international Mafia. We are told that he has become the unchallenged boss of the south Asian drug mafia and the Europeans and South American drug lords are baying for his blood driven by the fear that he may usurp their influence. But Don of course manages to slip through their fingers, give himself up to the Interpol in Singapore/Malaysia led by Roma(Priyanka) and her on-the-verge of retirement boss , Vishal Malik (Om Puri). He is transported to prison where he plans an escape with Vardhan(Boman Irani). Once out, they set out to steal some Euro currency plates from Deutsch Zentral Bank whose Vice president Mr Diwan( Aly Khan) is involved in some shady shenanigans. The entire first half of the narrative gets embroiled in detailing and set-up. So there is not much action or development worthy of interest. It’s also overwhelmingly verbose for an action thriller. Every planned event is explained in such minute detail that you just lose interest in what’s going on. The visuals too follow the dialogues so there isn’t much movement in the plot. When Don gives himself up to Interpol it’s a shabby move which appears to have been orchestrated by the scriptwriters without much imagination . it’s obvious they don’t have any idea how the prison system works in a foreign land. The writing is really very poor. The plot is so duh that even a fifth grader would be able to predict it’s outcome. There are no surprises either. Akhtar, Ameet Mehta and Amrish Shah treat us to inane dialogues that seek to enshrine Don with far more mystique than he deserves. What he does on film is just move from one plot point to the next without really convincing us of his skull-drudgery/daredevilry or whatever you choose to call it. Even Farhan Akhtar’s directorial skills are questionable here. Instead of going all-out to convince, he uses flashy and jump cuts to transit what could have developed into high-voltage thrills. It almost appears as though he was unsure of his own story-telling ability. The characters don’t have anything interesting to convey and the song and dance sequences just elongate the boredom to a point where you just want to walk away from it all. Even when Don wears a mask during one of his con-outs you know it’s not a mask, just another actor playing the part. There is no attempt to make it seem believable. The obviousness is killing. Even the stunts look unconvincing. Cinematographer Jason West (Rock On) and stunt director Matthias Barsch try to enthuse life into the dreary and unimaginatively set-up proceedings, but even they can’t be expected to instil non-existent thrills. The pace picks up a bit in the second half but by then it’s already too late to overcome the lag in the first. Incredibly naive is the way in which Don detonates bombs one after the other to get himself out of sticky situations. They happen with such convenient precision that it’s all terribly unbelievable. The attempt to con the audience into believing that this suave, sexy Don also has a heart, confuses matters to a point where you just stop believing it all. The entire screenplay seems to have been written keeping Shahrukh’s stereotyped image in mind. So it’s not driven by conviction, just make-believe and with an eye on the lucre. Shah Rukh looks old and haggard and acts like he has just walked off from the ‘My Name is Khan’ sets. In fact no one in the film is convincing. Lara Dutta has this plastic smile that is a killer to any enjoyment. Priyanka tries but she can’t do anything to lift the narrative for want of a sketchy role. Boman’s performance looks repetitive. Om Puri’s is tired, Kunal Kappor’s is too straitlaced and Aly Khan looks too wide-eyed and clip-lipped to be convincing. Even Nawab Shah as Jabbar and Sahil Shroff as Arjun, relative newbies, make little impression. All in all a disappointing outing at the cinemas!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost protocol, English Hollywood film Review, Johnson Thomas Rating: * * *

2011-12-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

English Film reviewJohnson ThomasFrenetic high-octane thrillerFilm: Mission Impossible 4: Ghost ProtocolCast: Tom Cruise, Simon peg, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Josh Halloway, Lea Sevdoux, Michael Nyquist, Anil Kapoor, Darren Skahlovi, Vladimir MashkovDirector: Brad BirdRating: * * *This fourth edition of the celebrated money-spinning Mission Impossible franchise is basically a market dictated production. The market for action thrillers in the US has reached saturation point so Asia has become the new focus of the Hollywood moghuls. 2006's "Mission: Impossible III" (which grossed a series-low $398 million worldwide) was considered to be a poor show and most people would have agreed that the franchise was losing steam while Cruise’s popularity was also taking a beating. Enough time has passed for the audience to have a breather and Cruise to re-energise another franchisee through. MI4: Ghost protocol is one such planned enterprise. It’s not exactly driven by a story. Like each of the MI franchisees , this one too can stand alone and be counted. There’s a new director at the helm, Brad Bird, who is better known for his animation tricks ("The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," ) than live action. And he uses all his considerable skills to pull off a pulsating, cut-to-cut, non-stop action thriller that has little character development, as it depends mostly on formulaic characters for the convoluted plot to carry through.J.J Abrams, Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec have scripted this rapid –action thriller that’s just a flimsy storyline holding together several action set-pieces. The fast and furious pace coupled by outrageous action spectacle gives the feeling that it’s not human characters who lead the charge here. Tom Cruise and gang are more like Autobots criss-crossing the world eradicating threat after threat in a spurious frenzy.Pic opens in Budapest, with an aerial shot over the top of the city's majestic Parliament building before a backstreet assassination; the action then moves to Moscow, where IMF agent Ethan Hunt(Cruise) in a Moscow prison being helped get out of it, by his team-mates. And then to iconic turrets of the Kremlin. It’s not clear how Hunt wound –up in Moscow but hints of a back-story allude to his wife Julia(Michelle Monaghan) whom he married in MI3 and some tragedy relating to it that clears up only after the climax. That is in fact the most intriguing thread of the film and it gets fed in bits and pieces by way of conversation right through the entire stretch of run-time. Different versions of the tragedy are put forth by his fellow agents and Hunt eventually clears the air only after the final run. In between all that there’s a whole lot of action spectacle feeding on globe-trotting terrorist spin and espionage thriller tropes. Hunt was apparently sprung out of the Moscow prison to help capture Nuclear extremist Hendricks(Michael Nyquist) who manages to escape through an elaborate ploy. So now it’s a cat and mouse game. Hunt and team mates Benji(Simon Pegg), Jane Carter(Paula Patton) and William Brandt(Jeremy Renner) who masqueraded as US Secretary of State’s chief analyst, have to overcome the most adverse of circumstances before reaching their chief target. From the running around dogging bullets and bombs in Kremlin, straight to Dubai where Hunt has to scale the tallest tower in the world, Burj khalifa, with a pair of electronically powered suction gloves-and of course they malfunction. Then the jumping from heights, encountering a gigantic sand storm, chasing the villains through it all till they arrive in Mumbai, India. Paul Hirsch’scutting is sharp and cinematographer Robert Elswit’s camerawork renders vertigo inducing footage during the glass-walled climbing sequence. It’s unbelievable but thrilling nevertheless. The next one that follows is equally tension ridden. Ethan and partners set-up a plan for deceiving two sets of crooks and it goes off well till a hitch comes up and the agents have to use their skills to come through on tops. The transition to Mumbai where telecom satrap, playboy Brajnath(Anil Kapoor)s writ runs large and the contretemps that ensue in the finale including an elongated chase and a sequence that involves a multitiered parking structure with several Beemers getting the raw end of the shtick, tends to disappointing. Just under 50 and in excellent physical form, Cruise looks trim and fit but can his ageing body take such continuously pulverising punishment? Luckily we don’t have much time to think about it as Bird speeds through every possible lull in the hope of keeping our attentions glued to the constant kinesis. Pegg, Patton ,Renner, Josh Halloway, Nyquist, Lea Sevdov and Mashkov play their respective parts quite at ease. Anil Kapoor has a ridiculously small though important role but he renders it like a buffoon in heat!Bird’s fluidity and style lend credibility and strength to that which he orchestrates. Second unit director Dan Bradley, stunt coordinator Gregg Smrz and fight choreographer Robert Alonzo deserve kudos for pulling off such extravagant unbelievable stuff in believable fashion. Music Composer Michael Giacchino manages to jazz up the proceedings enough to culminate into a heightened state of emotion at the climax. Ghost Protocol's key action sequences were filmed with a 65 mm camera while only 27 minutes of action footage were Imaxed. And the result is quite a spectacle. You are sure to have fun while it all lasts. The problem really begins afterwards. Once you start thinking about it everything appears flaky!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Nymgo - International Voice Over IP

2011-12-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

Nymgo - International Voice Over IP

Oscars: cinematographer Speak, Projecting turmoil-Variety

2011-12-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

Projecting turmoilEye on the Oscars: The CinematographerBy Todd Kushigemachi'Martha Marcy May Marlene''Martha Marcy May Marlene''Rampart''Rampart''Shame''Shame''Like Crazy''Like Crazy'From cult survivors to corrupt cops, angst-ridden lovers to sex addicts, many of the year's most talked-about films revolved around tortured souls wracked by emotional and psychological pain. While the actors articulated this inner turmoil through their performances, the cinematographers behind these movies seized the day with the requisite lighting and composition to underscore the enveloping darkness.Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes helped establish the haunting atmosphere of flashbacks that invade the present-day consciousness of the title character, played by Elizabeth Olsen, in helmer Sean Durkin's maiden feature, "Martha Marcy May Marlene." Lipes achieved this in part by lighting only 20%-30% of the cult's farm locale and underexposing to accentuate the grain and "feeling of film."Throughout the movie, Olsen is framed in tight close-up, but instead of conventional camera placement, Lipes often used a long lens and placed the camera further away to highlight the character's inability to reconnect with the people around her. As Lipes put it, "that feeling of distance is literally a feeling of distance.""Martha" also utilizes long takes, a preferred aesthetic that Lipes shares with the director. One interrupted shot follows Martha in and out of her sister-in-law Lucy's lake house during a bout of public paranoia. The scene posed the logistical issue of working with different light levels, but it was also "liberating for Lizzy," who could focus on her performance without worrying about recreating parts of the scene for coverage.If Martha fails to escape her past, the young lovers of Drake Doremus' "Like Crazy" struggle to rekindle their romance after a prolonged cross-oceanic separation. Lenser John Guleserian gave actors Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin the physical space they needed to bring a sense of realism to the relationship of Anna and Jacob. Simple lighting allowed the actors to improvise their blocking without obstructions, and a 135 mm lens allowed for tight shots even from a distance."We wanted them to be able to forget about the camera," Guleserian says. "It also adds to that intimacy because you get an extremely shallow depth of field."This closeness is traded for colder objectivity after the difficulties of their long-distance romance. For the scene in which Anna finally arrives at Jacob's apartment after their separation, Guleserian wanted to convey emotional distance. Following them with one lens on a camera, he used "the most objective camera placement that there could possibly be."Woody Harrelson's turn as a racist, homophobic L.A. cop prone to violence anchors helmer Oren Moverman's "Rampart." Cinematographer Bobby Bukowski used techniques including slow zooms to highlight the inner psychology of Harrelson's emotionally complex character."Oren is always asking me to respond and react to what Woody is doing," Bukowski says. "The zooms often are just instinct. I want to see in his eyes. I'm trying to discern the truth he's giving or what he's trying to hide."In many scenes, the camera lingers on Harrelson's expressions as he drives through the city. Challenged to maintain the handheld approach used throughout the film, Bukowski either rode in the passenger seat beside Harrelson or drove alongside in another vehicle, rather than using traditional process trailers.The film's use of light often contrasted L.A.'s "sequestered, cave-like interiors" and "barren desert-like exteriors," Bukowski says. To depict the "corrosive and assaultive qualities of the sunlight," he refrained from using anti-halation coating for his lens that would have reduced glare."What we're doing without these coatings is actually inviting flares into the lens," he says. "We were trying to use the light to invade this character."Helmer Steve McQueen's "Shame," presented lenser Sean Bobbitt with the challenge of honestly portraying the sexual obsessions of the lead character Brandon, played by Michael Fassbender, without resorting to pornography or erotica. To do this, he employed a "very frank camera" that observed but did not judge the character. For the NC-17-rated film's threesome scene, Bobbit improvised using low light level and a 100 mm lens."This is where a documentary background comes in very useful. You sort of divorce yourself," he says. "This is what they're doing, and we're going to watch it."Bobbitt and McQueen have collaborated for 10 years, first on installation projects and more recently on films including McQueen's 2008 feature debut, "Hunger." And just as McQueen's photographs invite spectators to project their own thoughts on a subject, Bobbitt uses long takes to engage the audience with the characters."By not cutting away, you don't let the audience escape," Bobbitt says. "It seems a very natural thing for the actors to work through a whole scene in a very organic way. The audience feels like they are actually part of that."EYE ON THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHERLensers aren't afraid of the dark | For 'Hugo,' depth adds to character | Period pics invite wide spectrum of styles | Projecting turmoilContact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.comGuest, HERE ARE OTHER ARTICLES RECOMMENDED FOR YOU… Lego lands 'Hobbit' toy license 'The Artist' tops Golden Globe nominations Analysis: Globes pick stars over substance 69th Golden Globe Nominations Sound editing: Always make dramatic sense Globes heap TV noms on newbiesNewstogram

Oscars: Cinematographer speak-Period Pics 2012, Variety

2011-12-16T07:03:00.000-08:00

Period pics invite wide spectrum of stylesEye on the Oscars: The CinematographerBy Michael GoldmanWoody Allen and d.p. Darius KhondjiWoody Allen and d.p. Darius Khondji on the set of 'Midnight in Paris''War Horse'Janusz Kaminiski shot 'War Horse'From Tom Stern's bloodless, monochromatic palette on Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" to Janusz Kaminski's vibrant, painterly images in Steven Spielberg's "War Horse," filmmakers took radically different approaches to capturing historic periods in their work this year, whether based on real-life figures or simply grounded in a certain time and place.For Peter Suschitzky, who shot David Cronenberg's early 20th century Freud/Jung drama, "A Dangerous Method," the very idea of altering his style to suit a particular epoch is specious at best. For the d.p., subtle differences are more visceral than strategic."I'm not going to change my camera style radically just because it's a period movie," he says. "But something obviously does happen inside of myself, and style shifts naturally. We took into account that the film is set before (everyone had) electricity. My compositions were based more on place. In the mental hospital scenes, I wanted strong compositions. Freud's apartment has a completely different feel from Jung's by virtue of the sets. I shoot on those sets organically, reacting instinctively to what I see."I do think the period speaks to you and influences you in ways you are not conscious of," he adds. "Just seeing the actors in period clothes has an effect on the work."Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," by contrast, was shot specifically to illustrate a particularly lonely Cold War ambiance. The cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who has been tackling period films for years, feels it's easier than contemporary work, because "time gives you perspective -- you can be a little bit more analytical about certain things. The time is well defined in a visual sense."The goal was to bring viewers into what the filmmakers perceived to be the real "atmosphere of the Cold War" in Eastern Europe, far from glamourized notions. "This is the darker side of the Cold War, the painful side -- people locked in small rooms lit by artificial light, going through the motions," van Hoytema says."MI6 (operatives) in this time were hard-laboring, lonely men who had secrets they could not tell anyone. We wanted to show how lonely and dreary it was. I wanted a scruffy finish to the cinematography -- real texture in the frames."To accomplish this, van Hoytema used an old, grainy Fuji Reala 500D film stock that is now discontinued. He then enhanced grain via a 4k digital intermediate workflow at a Swedish facility called the Chimney Pot."I got more grain with that stock, and also by slightly underexposing it," he says. "(The 4k process) meant that we could work at a much better resolution. This way, we lost less of the structure of the original negative, which was important to me. A 2k process can interfere with original film noise, and grain can get filtered, making its roughness appear digital. Here, we were able to get back that organic sense."Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," meanwhile, moves back-and-forth between contemporary and period visuals. The mission was all about romanticizing Paris at night during a famous historical period, and distinguishing it from contemporary chunks of the film.To achieve this, for the period sections, d.p. Darius Khondji used old Taylor-Hobson Cooke lenses from the 1960s and '70s, and sharp, modern Cooke S5 lenses for contemporary pieces."The modern period also has a wider lens and more camera moves to be sharper with more depth of field," says Khondji, "while we used longer lenses for period work."In the 1920s, they didn't have a wide-angle lens, so I shot that period without one. We tried to glamourize it with longer lenses and less movement -- more classical. Also, more backlight. I don't use a lot of backlight for modern stories, but it's an iconic, vintage look that works to (represent) older photography."The filmmakers attempted to differentiate vintage Paris at night through a distinct lack of exterior light. "We turned out the lights in Paris," Khondji says. "In modern cities, there is too much light. I imagined that back then, there were bubbles of light only around cafes and restaurants, wherever there was activity.""War Horse," which takes place during World War I, appears to reference the kind of fiery sunsets and dramatic vistas of classic epics like "Gone With the Wind" and "Duel in the Sun."These rich, light-intensive compositions -- achieved almost totally in camera -- are, in a sense, characters in the film, reminding viewers of a simpler era compared to what's coming."We talked about amazing exteriors, beautiful skies, and great clouds," Kaminski says. "To maintain the beauty of the sky, you have to light actors at certain levels so they don't blend in with the landscape. If it were a contemporary movie, I would have had a different approach. I wouldn't light people as much as I did on this movie, and the importance of deep skies would not be emphasized as much."The period nature is particularly accentuated during the battle sequences. An iconic cavalry charge inspired by historic paintings descends into the dark, graphic reality of trench warfare. Spielberg and Kaminski are certainly no strangers to visualizing the battlefield after "Saving Private Ryan," but this time around, the camera highlights a different kind of a war."This movie has fewer camera tricks, fewer manipulations (for battle sequences) -- it's more straightforward," Kaminski says. " 'Private Ryan' relied on manipulated camera speeds and lenses a lot more. 'Private Ryan' was handheld and, here, we are usually away from the actors -- we're more objective about it, less personally involved."Meanwhile, Stern's dark, shadowy look on "J. Edgar" accentuated the period costumes and sets. As such, Stern says he was generally more focused on lighting and lensing for the evolving state of Hoover's mind, given that the film is a psychological drama."He was going between the frustration of his emotions and his yearning for power, and he descends into a sort of tragic isolation," Stern says. "That's what we were trying to capture. At times, he's a couple molecules short of bonkers, and we lit accordingly. The period is mostly taken care of with design. A friend recently accused me of having it look old mahogany, but I guess that was the sense and (palette) of high-end federal buildings back then."The same sets in the Department of Justice and Hoover's office are used across many decades, so lighting fixtures were swapped out. Gaffer Ross Dunkerley, for example, used practical 250-watt bulbs to light all the 1920s scenes in the main corridor. In the 1960s, that same corridor is lit with practical fluorescent lights to make it look brighter during daylight hours.Such subtle tricks are all over "J. Edgar," but perhaps the most overt attempt to distinguish one era from another took place during the digital intermediate process. There, Eastwood and Stern had Technicolor Hollywood colorist Jill Bogdanowicz radically desaturate the 1920s imagery to make it look like it was closer to how film looked back then. Bogdanowicz even added soft vignettes to 1920s shots to keep eyes focused on the center of frames to mimic the look of darker, vintage lenses.

Lensers arn't afraid of the dark- Variety- Cinematographer speak

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Lensers aren't afraid of the darkEye on the Oscars: The CinematographerBy Iain Blair'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2''Tree of Life''Tree of Life''Take Shelter''Take Shelter'Maybe it's just a reflection of the ongoing global financial meltdown and overall sense of impending disaster, but it was a dark and stormy night indeed in a number of films released in 2011, with the apocalypse looming large in such diverse productions as Lars von Trier's "Melancholia," Jeff Nichols' "Take Shelter" and David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," while the Big Bang informs Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life."Writer-director Nichols and cinematographer Adam Stone artfully ratcheted up the suspense scene by scene in "Take Shelter" -- in which the gathering storm could be construed as either the result of a disintegrating mind or warnings of the real thing -- carefully blending real "storm-chaser" footage with CGI by Hydraulx. "We wanted the film to look natural and unfettered with," says Stone. "Our main goal was to remove as much artifice as possible from the filmmaking process -- ironic since 'Take Shelter' is chockfull of CGI work."To achieve this look, they shot on film, "as celluloid would add honesty to the film and help blend the CGI with the rest of the movie," according to the d.p.The only deviation from the plan was in shooting the storm shelter, the film's set piece. "We wanted it cramped, claustrophobic, and dark," Stone says. "To achieve this, Jeff instructed our production designer to build the set using dimensions of a real storm shelter. This meant no drop ceilings or flyway walls."The mandate forced their hand when it came to shooting and lighting, and is why a fuel-burning Coleman lantern is "the main source of light" in the shelter.The end of the world is also front and center in "Melancholia," with its two-part story of a planetary collision prominently featuring the doom-laden transcendent music of Wagner juxtaposed with the restrained visual approach by Danish cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro.The film's introductory, dream-like "overture" was "very difficult to envision for me," says the d.p., "because the shooting of it was like collecting puzzle pieces. … As (the rogue planet) Melancholia approached, we intensified the blue, but kept it bright and austere. We wanted a very clear and crisp apocalypse."According to Claro, von Trier wanted "maximum freedom for the actors, which was perfect because we were working on such a beautiful location, which easily could have taken over if we had staged things more."Shooting on Alexa and mainly using a 28-76mm zoom "to be as flexible as possible," the d.p. referenced von Triers' own back catalog for much of the moody and natural look, which he terms "expressive naturalism.""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the climactic final chapter in the decade-long cinematic series, conjures up an equally dark, dangerous and ominous world, thanks to lowering skies and the steady hand of director Yates and his d.p., Eduardo Serra."What I loved about the last film is that David pushed me to go dark, which all cinematographers love to do," Serra says. "And usually you're fighting with the producers (about the look) but they all wanted it dark and atmospheric, too."Serra shot the film on Arri cameras, and notes that while the only "Harry Potter" film to be released in 3D "wasn't shot in 3D, the conversion to 3D in post made it look even darker than it was."Serra also had to contend with a multitude of night shoots and omnipresent visual effects work. "We had so much greenscreen work, in almost every scene," he says. "But as we shot the last two films back-to-back, it was all very carefully planned out way in advance, and I think we did justice to the last Harry Potter film."The wonder and origin of life as opposed to the destruction of the world informs the ambitious, enigmatic "The Tree of Life," directed by the equally enigmatic and ambitious Malick, and shot by his "New World" d.p. Emmanuel Lubezki. "While we blocked scenes in a more conventional way on 'New World,' Terry wanted this to feel more 'found,' like a documentary," says Lubezki, a four-time Oscar nominee, about their visual approach. "And we never used other films as references -- it was photos, art pieces and discussing our travels."While "Tree" was "carefully scripted, not improvised," Malick often used index cards, "with various ideas jotted on them," Lubezki says. "On the day he'd pull one out and go, 'We don't have to shoot the script. How can we shoot that feeling of a kid's memory of being young? How do we capture that and get that emotion into film?' We'd throw ideas back and forth, and the movie's style evolved from all that. We'd try to create 'happy accidents.'"The d.p., who shot "Tree" on Arri cameras and master primes ("for that crisp, clean look"), says the biggest challenges were making all the scenes "look completely unrehearsed" and dealing with the complex visual effects, "especially for the natural history part of the film."Because a considerable amount of the imagery had been culled over time, including some stock footage, continuity was key."The (digital intermediate) took many months, as Terry had shot some of the plates 20 years ago," says Lubezki, "and matching the lighting for the dinosaurs and so on was very difficult. But ultimately we got it the way we wanted."

Cinematographers Speak: Special Focus :HUGO

2011-12-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

For 'Hugo,' depth adds to characterEye on the Oscars: The CinematographerBy Matt Hurwitz, Variety'Hugo''Hugo' was d.p. Robert Richardson’s first attempt at 3D.Robert RichardsonRichardsonHugo Cabret, the title character in Martin Scorsese's much-discussed first venture into family films, lives in a world of deep isolation, a lonely orphan seemingly trapped in a life within the walls of a Paris railway station circa the 1930s. Left by a drunken uncle to spend his days maintaining the station's countless clocks, with their giant geared mechanisms, while scrounging for food and parts for an automaton he hopes to bring back to life, Hugo is indeed alone. Deeply alone.The keyword here is deep -- and it is that depth that Scorsese and director of photography Robert Richardson strove to capture in their first stab at 3D. "In truth, we just tried to tell a tale," the cinematographer tells Variety.While the film takes viewers through the huge station, both in public areas filled with passengers and through the mazes of secret passageways, the filmmakers were careful not to overplay their hand. "We tried very hard not to make this an exhausting experience," Richardson says -- something viewers often experience during seemingly endless 3D action sequences in stereoscopic films.Instead of falling into the usual trappings of 3D filmmaking, the filmmakers stayed with the director's trademark character-driven approach. "Hugo's sense of isolation is always there -- he's constantly peering from inside the train station to the outside," the d.p. says. "Almost all of the shots are captured by looking through something."The main thing for us was to avoid having distracting elements," says Richardson. "Marty wanted to use 3D more as a tool to tell the story, not fill it with 'House of Wax' ping-pong ball moments."Not to say Scorsese wanted to avoid them altogether. "He was careful to select them -- the way an orchestra's conductor would take a moment where the drums would come in. We were trying to use 3D to immerse people in this environment, not just to have gimmicks."Richardson wanted to place the audience inside Hugo's world, in the way the character experiences it.One such example, he says, is the introduction of Christopher Lee's character, a bookseller named Labisse. Seen as a low-angle "three-shot" as the children meet him, the view looks up toward Lee, with his cat on the left and walls of books beyond and around him. "I remember it was one of the first shots I had done that I stopped when I looked at it on a big screen. I was feeling something I had never felt anywhere in a 2D movie. The room itself became a character. I was immersed in the room, and the entire room took over. I could feel that it had depth."There are, of course, established sets of rules for shooting with complex 3D camera equipment. "It took time to figure out what worked and what didn't, until we began to feel comfortable moving the camera," Richardson says. "Overall, I think we got quite good at it."Ultimately. the movie pays tribute to the work of the earliest of filmmakers, including George Melies and the Lumiere brothers, who themselves had experimented with 3D cinematography."For Marty to have taken 3D as a choice to tell this tale, and put it atop those pioneers, I think was all the wiser," Richardson says. "Because they certainly would have utilized these tools."EYE ON THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHERLensers aren't afraid of the dark | For 'Hugo,' depth adds to character | Period pics invite wide

Oscars : Directors in contention

2011-12-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

Woody Allen on 'Midnight in Paris'When Woody Allen first discussed the idea of "Midnight in Paris" with his younger sister and producer Letty Aronson, she advised him against it, saying the story of a modern-day writer mixing with historical literary figures wouldn't get anyone into theaters.Stephen Daldry on 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'Stephen Daldry does not believe any books are "unadaptable," and as proof, he tackled bigscreen versions of "The Hours" and "The Reader" before turning his attention to Jonathan Safran Foer's intricate post-9/11 tale.David Fincher on 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'David Fincher started shooting "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" 25 days after turning in "The Social Network." That kind of accelerated schedule would be taxing even in the best circumstances, much less with the challenges Fincher and his crew faced in getting the big-budget adaptation of Stieg Larsson's blockbuster crime novel off the ground.Michel Hazanavicius on 'The Artist'The idea of making a silent film had been running through French helmer Michel Hazanavicius' mind for a long time -- a wild dream he knew he couldn't achieve unless he proved himself first as a bankable and talented director. And after lining up the two "OSS: 117" James Bond spoofs, Hazanavicius dedicated himself to finding a good story to be told in a silent, black-and-white feature.Terrence Malick on 'The Tree of Life'With "The Tree of Life," filmmaker Terrence Malick realized a long-held dream. Collaborators recall discussions about the project dating back some 30 years to the set of "Badlands," the American director's 1973 seminal feature debut about a pair of criminal lovers on the run.Bennett Miller on 'Moneyball'First, Bennett Miller had to find a way into "Moneyball." Then he had to find a way out.Alexander Payne on 'The Descendants'Alexander Payne wasn't sure he was the man to make "The Descendants." At the time the novel came into his office, he was busy writing another project called "Downsizing" and found it difficult to "dislodge" from it. But after that script proved tough to finance, Payne says, "I sat down anew with the book, reading it and re-reading it to see if I could climb inside."Jason Reitman on 'Young Adult'Enthusing about the uncompromising ending to his black comedy "Young Adult," director Jason Reitman recently told a crowd at the New Beverly Cinema it worked because "assholes don't change like they normally do in the third acts of movies."Martin Scorsese on 'Hugo'Although Martin Scorsese is known for pushing deadlines when editing his films, the schedule for his first 3D feature, "Hugo," seemed exceedingly lengthy even by the veteran helmer's standards. When he spoke with Variety in early November, he was still tinkering with a few scenes in "Hugo," and he marveled at how much time complicated scenes required to render.

Farrar, Bollywood Hindi film Review, Johnson Thomas , Rating: *

2011-12-16T04:36:00.000-08:00

Film: FarrarCast: Akbar Khan

Pappu cant dance sala, Bollywood Hindi film review,, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2 J

2011-12-16T04:27:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film reviewJohnson ThomasA botched-up odd-couple romcomFilm: Pappu can’t dance salaCast: Vinay Pathak , Neha Dhupia, Rajat Kapoor, Naseerudin ShahDirector: Saurabh ShuklaRating: * * 1/2‘Pappu can’t dance sala’ is a middle-of-the-road , small-budget attempt to make a mark at the hustings. But the flawed script and illogical plotting may well undo all that effort put in by the leads (and to an extent the director) to score a pocketful of laughs. The film does start off promisingly. The camera follows a school bus packed with girls in school uniform ostensibly travelling to a picnic spot. Once the girls leave the bus they immediately embark on an orchestrated dance number. We then realise that it’s a shooting scenario and the girls are all just chorus dancers. Mahek(Neha Dhupia) is one of them. She’s aiming to go places in the film industry and wants an abode in Mumbai. The broker actually comes to hand over the key to a flat in a posh looking government sales tax colony. Cut to Vidya(Vinay Pathak) who leaves Benares for Mumbai, gets a job as a medical representative and also moves in to the same colony as Mahek. As luck would have it, they are next door neighbours and the trouble really begins when Mahek’s dancer friends overrun his house in their effort to make Mahek’s more presentable. They then go on to party till late night, playing loud music and chattering right through. Vidya is disturbed . he tries reason with her but fails. He then goes and complains to the society President. Mahek plays alone and lost in Mumbai to get the President to overlook her misdemeanour. Vidya then decides to fight fire with fire and uses Mahek’s own tricks against her. A bitter war ensues between the two nd soon enough because of a vigilance raid Mahek loses her home and decides to appropriate Vidya’s. Vidya is unable to get her out( by far the stupidest part of the film) and the two eventually learn to adjust to each other’s temperaments and choices. Both Neha Dhupia and Vinay Pathak are able to keep the interest going by the sheer energy and gusto they bring to their performances. Even their timing is quite eventful. They generate quite a few laughs in the initial stages of friction and it’s only when the script takes some illogical twists and turns that the interest begins to flag. Mahek gets a boost when she’s chosen to star in a music video. She immediately embarks on a makeover for Vidya’s home without so much as seeking his permission . And Vidya is clueless till he returns home to find his disarrayed abode in spic and span condition with freshly applied paint and decor. There are many such unbelievable moments in this film and one would have been able to overlook them if the fractious chemistry between the two leads could have sustained . Unfortunately, the story /script dictates were different. The two were predictably expected to fall in love and situations are engineered in such a fashion, that the two eventually realise they are made for each other after all. But it’s really not a substantiated endplay. Mahek is seen going out on a night-ride with her director and he also invites himself to her new home but we never get to know what transpired between them. The lead-up to that scene is one in which he commands his dancers to shed their clothes and inhibitions. Mahek is the only one willing to comply, obviously. When Mahgek’s first music video is about to be launched Vidya gives her a surprise by getting her estranged father to grace the occasion. It’s quite ‘the dirty Picture’ moment only this time it’s the father paying the visit and rejecting the daughter. The film does have a few realistic touches and also manages to generate quite a few empathetic moments. When Vidya returns home he is greeted by his dehati Mom eager to see him married. His father( Nasseruddin Shah in an all too brief and inconsequential role) though eggs him on to follow his heart. Vinay Pathak’s role in this film, barring a few variations is no different from the roles he has assayed in several other films. He is obviously being typecast and the audience will most certainly not be able to stomach his kind of repetitive acting for long. Neha Dhupia, on the other hand, has over the years begun emerging as a champion of the small-budget film. We’ve seen her in many forgettable ones but she has caught our attention too in some-‘Ek Chalis ki l;ast local’, ‘Mithiya’ and ‘Phas Gaya re Obama’ among them. In this film she exhibits assured form and throws in a wonderfully modulated performance. Saurabh Shukla’s direction is not all bad either. The narrative is quite engaging for a while and the music video launch scene is done with panache but thereafter the film appears to have gotten into a rush. As a result , what comes afterwards is not really emphatic or believable. A case of lost chances really!Johnsont307@gmail.com

Jo Hum Chahein, Hindi Bollywood film review , Johnson Thomas Rating: *

2011-12-16T04:22:00.000-08:00

Hindi Film ReviewJohnson ThomasAn extremely sour love storyFilm: Jo Hum ChaheinCast: Sunny Gill, Simran Mundi, Director: Pawan GillRating: *Hindi cinema has this very ridiculous tradition- every new hopeful intent on making his/her mark in Bollywood more or less does a typical love story as a starter. So Sunny Gill and Simran Mundi, new hopefuls, are no different from the countless star sons and wannabes that have gone through a similar grind. And that is really not the main problem here.Love ain’t a many splendored emotion anymore. At least not the way Pawan Gill and team treat it. “Jo Hum Chahein’ a plasticine valentine that appears to have been manufactured at some fantasy Bollywood bazaar is in reality quite a clueless attempt at image projection. Pawan Gill, who has taken up direction for the first time, has worked in the Yashraj productions of yore and his style is typical romantic glossy. But there really is no substance in the plot or story. This film practically has no story to tell. It just a queer sequence of visuals frequently punctuated by song and dance engineered as homage to the Yashraj factory , in an unbearably long and tedious runtime. And that’s not because the runtime stretches over long. It’s just that what transpires on screen in the name of love, is terribly mundane and unviable. Take the opening sequence for example. Rohan Bhatia(Sunny Gill) ion the eve of his graduation from some nondescript MBA college is given a surprise visit by his father who wants to take him out for a celebration before the graduation ceremony. But Rohan is busy in bed with his current girlfriend and is too preoccupied with an upcoming celebratory party with his fellow students, to want to go out with his Dad. He is arrogant, brash, unyiel;ding and quite abrupt with his Dad who is supposed to have flown in from somewhere for this great occasion in his son’s life. After a minute of pointless conversation the two part ways and Rohan moves into party mode. After donning some outlandishly shiny party wear he does the usual cliché party number, bumps into an attractive girl Neha (Simran Mumdi), tries his pick-up line and fails. His friends challenge him to live up to his playboy but that does not appear to be his day. The next day soon after the ceremony his Dad wants him to go home and spend time with him but Rohan is adamant that he has to fly to Mumbai to join Bombay Bulls as a promising young stockbroker. The Dad is continuously treated in this fashion. Everytime he makes an overture he is brushed aside. And the explanation for Rohan’s outrageous behaviour is his eing contrary to that of his ambition of becoming a millionaire stockbroker being contrary to that which his Dad wants for him-to join the military.Once in Mumbai, Rohan and his friend, who also is in the team at Bombay bulls are treated to a prep orientation by star broker Vikram(Aly Khan). Thirty prospectives are given a deadline within which they are expected to hit a high enough turnover in order to enter the top ten. The rest would obviously lose their jobs. Rohan chooses to take the crooked way to his goal and in the process loses his now love, Neha while his friend plays straight and stays around for another round. The plot is pretty much convoluted and appears extremely stagey and unconvincing. It’s ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ alright but minus the logic and substance. It’s also quite stupid. The hero takes his girl to a different places of worship belonging to different religions, that too on a ifirst date. he also comes prepared with a salwar set in order to save her the blushes due to her inappropriate outfit. Yeah and Neha falls for it too. Sunny Gill appears to have a Hrithik hangover while Simran Mundi prefers the Bhagyashree way. They are impersonators who may never achieve the heights of their idols. Both project themselves in a manner that is so obviously unlike their characters in the film that we never feel anything for either. There is practically no emotional connect with what happens to them. The whole experience is so uninvolving that it takes a lot of effort to sit through it all. The lack-Lustre songs are picturised in a manner that brings Shah Rukh-Kajol in K3G to mind. Save for good looks, there is little of interest in this superficially constructed energy deflator. The production values are rich but we would have much better preferred a stronger plot and more inventive treatment. What we got instead is definitely not jo hum chahein!Johnsont307@gmail.com

with Love, Delhi, Bollywood English,Hindi film review,, Johnson Thomas Rating: *

2011-12-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

Hindi /English film ReviewJohnson ThomasIt's academic, sheer tortureFilm: With Love, Delhi( in Hindi /English)Cast: Tom Alter, Kiran Kumar, Ashish Lal, Pariwa Pranati, Seema BiswasDirector: Nikhil SinghRating: *The people associated with the film are supposedly IIT’ians’, and they can’t help but claim that privilege in the tagline promoting their film. ‘ An intelligent film by IITians,’ is what they are calling it but the film is anything but that! The story and narration mechanics employed by helmer Nikhil Singh and co-scriptwriter /lead actor Ashish Lal has ‘A Wednesday’ written all over it, but the centrepiece gambit is not as crucial as .was in ‘A Wednesday.’ This film basically tries to make a point that could well have been made less torturously(for the viewer, that is). And it’s certainly nothing to do with ‘terrorism.’Ashish(Ashish Lal) is sweet on best friend Priyanka(Pariva Pranati) but Priyanka doesn’t reciprocate. She in fact adores someone else. Then Priyanka’s developer Dad, Khanna(Kiran Kumar) is kidnapped and the mysterious abductor apparently doesn’t want a ransom. He just wants the developer’s only child to experience the same emotional upheaval that he experienced when his father was cheated by Khanna’s father. Not a promising premise by any standards but even so one could have overlooked that fact if the treatment had been half-way intelligent or interesting. Ashish and Nikhil design a scenario whereby the daughter is expected to connect cryptic clues having historical significance en route to finding her Dad. She obviously doesn’t have as much knowledge of history as Ashish who is a history major and only son of a Professor of History(Tom Alter). Deliberately eschewing the help of the police(even though one of her father’s friend’s is an Asst.Commissioner) Priyanka turns to Ashish for help. Her boyfriend proves useless and unhelpful while Priyanka and Ashish get much closer over the next few months in the onerous process of finding Mr Khanna – hopefully, before he gets bumped off by the irate history buff avenger.As part of the history lesson we are treated to visuals of several prominent monuments and ruins in and around Delhi , albeit under the pretext of decoding the cryptic clues. The filmmakers also manage to throw in some historic facts associated with those monuments. And it’s all done in dry , uninteresting fashion. The harried daughter is immaculately dressed and made-up throughout her ordeal , probably in readiness for her new-found paramour and protector. She also exhibits a quite bizarre mood swing leading to a suicide attempt , forcing Ashish to come to her timely rescue. There’s also this very ridiculous scene where plain clothed cops follow the duo without making any discernible effort to camouflage their pursuit. Each scenario is more ridiculous and implausibly manufactured than the previous. There’s a wild goose chase into the bras of women lolling about in a maidan close to a monument, and another clue decoding session that reduces a secret dynasty to that of ‘Victoria’s Secret.’ The laborious search goes on and on till we are finally treated to the end play, a twist that is both spurious and unsubstantiated. There’s barely any tension in the narrative and the twist starts staring at you after the first fifteen minutes of runtime. The principle characters are played with studied seriousness that is better suited to a classroom enactment. Tom Alter , entering the frame after a long hiatus is earnest enough and so is Kiran Kumar and Seema Biswas but the punctuated alien sounding dialogues and unyielding scenario sullies even that effort. The one solitary stab at humour, basically in bad taste, makes the entire ordeal even more so. The writing is obviously amateurish and so are the principal actors. Ashish Lal an IIT Delhi alumnus, is probably better suited to a start-up than he is to a debut film. Pariva Pranati should find employment elsewhere.This film is an exhausting watch in spite of it’s short runtime. The narrative style invariably invokes forgettable childhood memories of the UGC designed classroom sessions telecast on DD for years together. Such slip-shod , entirely academically inclined, (so-called) creative effort was only to be expected from a bunch of bookish morons with start-up fantasies, waylaid by celluloid dreams . To reach a varied and demanding, unqualified (in terms of entertainment taste) audience is not an easy task and no amount of academic calculations or marketing genius can make a creative effort like a film work unless it has some element that could interest an audience. This misadventure into a field that requires more than just staid intelligence, is clearly something they will have to study and analyse at length. Helmer Nikhil Singh might do better if he made educational films for UGC, though! Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Burma Conspiracy-Largo Winch 2, HollywoodEnglish film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

2011-12-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

English Film reviewJohnson ThomasA thrilling action spectacleFilm: The Burma Conspiracy/Largo Winch 2Cast: Tomer Sisley, Sharon Stone, Ulrich Tukur, Olivier Batholemy, Nayakpapha Nakorasitte, Laurent TerzieffDirector: Jerome SalleRating: * * *An international cast and a French director for a screenplay by Julien Rappenau , Philip Francq, Jerome Salle, based on the popular European graphic novels "Fort Makiling" and "Hour of the Tiger" by Philippe Francq, Jean Van Hamme, come good together in a high-octane action thriller spanning across Asia and Europe. And it’s even better than most Hollywood products. The story basically goes back and forth from the first film to the new edition in this second live-action feature about the Belgian comic-book character. Largo Winch(Tomer Sisley) is handed the multi-million dollar company after his father’s brutal murder. And soon enough it’s time for U.N. prosecutor Diane Francken (Sharon Stone in typical cross-legged revealing fashion) to enter the fray and accuse Winch of crimes against humanity during the time when he was incidentally estranged from his father and living in Burma with his girlfriend around 3 years ago. The insinuation is that Winch was in cohorts with his father Neito Winch(Miki Manojlovic) , the then CEO of WinchCrorp which had a huge interest in the region’s minerals. Largo escapes from custody and returns to the site of the crime finds his former paramour incarcerated by the vicious general, rescues her along with her baby who he later discovers is his own. The action spectacle unfurls right from the first reel where a thrilling car chase takes center-stage leading to Largo’s assumption of the highest position in Winch Corp. The transitions are rapid and the tempo is racy. Largo moves to his massive yatch only to be waylaid by the U.N prosecutor who has an overstated preference for toyboys. Once largo escapes to Burma, the thrills increase in volume-as Largo, his Burmese paramour and kid escape whilst serenaded by bullets and blasts. The conspiracy, though contrived , is handled with great flair and panache. The jack-knifing editing keeps the pace humming and the interest absorbing with multitude of characters flowing in and out of the frame. It’s a complicated narrative and Jerome Salle’s expository flashes are just enough to get a hang of the intricate story. This film contains most of the elements of a great action movie. solid acting, multi-racial and colourful characters, a comical Eastern European villain, stupefying stunts and a narrative that manages to put them all together expeditiously. The movie also takes us on a tour of exciting locations like Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong and Switzerland and the accompanied scenery is splendid, eye-catching and adds much weight to the overall engagement!.Joohnsont307@gmail.com

Machine Gun preacher, Hollywood film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

2011-12-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

English Film reviewJohnson ThomasViolently GoodFilm: Machiine Gun Preacher- Cast: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shanon, Madeline Carroll, Kathy Baker, Barbara CovenDirector: Marc Forster Rating: * * * Based on a true story about reformed criminal Ex-biker gang member Sam Childer’s life-transforming decision to accept Jesus and subsequently go to Sudan, East Africa to help the children orphaned by bitter civil strife, this film produced by lead actor Gerard Butler is among the prime Oscar contenders for next year’s Oscars.Marc Forster’s ‘ Machine Gun Preacher’ speaks of humanitarian support for orphan children through an almost blunt, straight-forward portrayal of an inherently violent man using his nihilistic skill to fight for peace among the civil-war ridden Sudanese. Violence for peace and humanitarian kindness may be considered morally wrong but one must realise that it takes all kinds of effort to make the world habitable and sustainable and this film must therefore be considered within that prism of understanding. Forster’s narrative doesn’t beat around the bush so-to-speak. He tells it as it is .Philadelphia hillbilly Sam Childers(Gerard Butler) is a violent man who does jail time for some acts of reprehensible violence and manages to escape scrutiny for others. After his latest stint in prison, he returns home to borrn-again wife Lynn(Michelle Monaghan) and young daughter Paige, only to get back into the compulsions of yore-substance abuse, violence, armed robbery, attempted murder . after once such act of violence his conscience begins to prick and he gets persuaded to join his mother, wife and daughter in their prayer group.Sam’s sudden interest and new found belief in God is given perfunctory treatment so that his humanitarian acts of saving the children of Africa could assume center-stage. It’s a gamble that pays-off because what Sam is involved in is far more rewarding (in cinematic terms)than his acceptance of God. Sam’s missionary zeal to provide the children of Sudan with a safe haven through his construction business and his ensuing rage at the Lord’s Resistance Army for it’s vicious atrocities against the children allows us to understand his ravaging need for justice achieved through violence. Sam’s initial short-term missionary effort transforms into a life-long obsession causing friction and strife within his family and also marking him as a sworn enemy of the IRA.Philly native Sam (Gvia his constructionerard Butler) returns home to his wife, Lynn (Michelle Monaghan), and their young daughter, Paige (Ryann Campos), and quickly sinks back into a life of substance abuse, compulsive violence and armed robbery along with his old bar buddy Donnie (Michael Shannon). But Lynn, who became a Christian during Sam's incarceration, urges her husband to go to church with her; after a near-fatal skirmish, Sam agrees and is forever changed by the experience. Adopting a rudimentary approach to complex developments, Jason Keller's screenplay is content to observe Sam's Damascus moment from the outside, displaying minimal interest in the mystery of his sudden faith. Within months, Sam has gone from hardened thug to God-fearing missionary; having started his own construction business, he decides to put his skills to meaningful use on a relief trip to Uganda. But when Sam makes a dangerous detour into neighboring Sudan, escorted by Sudanese People's Liberation Army soldier Deng (Souleymane Sy Savane, "Goodbye Solo"), he witnesses firsthand the atrocities perpetrated by the Lord's Resistance Army, a vicious renegade militia that turns children into soldiers, often by forcing them to kill their own parents. Moved by the plight of countless young refugees, Sam provides them with temporary shelter and eventually decides to build a local orphanage. Soon, what was intended to be a short-term mission has become a life-consuming project, leaving his wife and daughter (now played by Madeline Carroll) feeling abandoned, and making him a sworn enemy of the LRA. The film is shot in stark realistic hues and the harsh reality of a ravaged country comes through effortlessly. As Childer’s acts of benevolence forms the chief focus, the children he helps are mere masses of humanity meant to make Childer’s persona look good and effective. It’s effective posturing mainly because Childer’s violence is so ingrained that his character needs that kind of buffer to look half-way empathetic. No doubt this is a difficult film to sit through but the searing honesty of narration and Butler’s harsh embodiment of Childer’s truth make it a worthwhile watch!Johnsont307@gmail.com

New Year's Eve, Hollywood English film review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * T

2011-12-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

English Film Review

Johnson ThomasPretty picture without soulFilm: New Year’s EveCast: Halle Berry, Michelle Pffeifer,Jessica Biel, Jon Bon jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “ludacrois” Bridges, Josh Duhamel,, Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine HeiglDirector: Garry MarshallRating: * * ‘New year’s Eve’ is Garry ‘Pretty Woman’ Marshall’s umpteenth romantic offering with typical Hallmark moments emblazoned all across the narrative that boasts of a Who'swho of Hollywood ‘A’ list celebrities doing the ‘Valentine’s day’ flash. Screenwriter Katherine Fugate , who a lso wrote the screenplay for Marshall’s ‘Valentine’s Day’ has little newness to import in this déjà vu (Love,Actually impersonation) inducing intertwining tale of love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh beginnings. The film is set in and around Times Square and could well have been rechristened ‘I Love New York.” In line with the series of short films made on special cities of the world.-that’s how specific it gets !Garry Marshall skirts around the many vignettes he has assembled for his gigantic cast. N lesser Each mini story appears to have been put-together with a production line efficiency that bemoans a lack of empathetic eloquence. The heavy star cast could be blamed for the lack of development in the individual stories which appear to have even lesser depth than a New year’s greeting card.The film is basically an assemblage of scratchily drawn plots with nowhere to go but the last few minutes of the year. Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel are seen competing with another aggressive couple in order to deliver their respective babies in time for a New Year reward. Katherine Heigl meets-up with ex-paramour rock star(Jon Bon Jovi) and their track basically encompasses moments of wistfulness and regret before being put right back together. Sofia Vergara ad Russell Peters add a bit of perky enjoyment to that. Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michelle, neighbours in an apartment complex get stranded between floors in a roomy lift, Robert De Niro plays the ready-to-die cancer patient to caring bleeding heart nurse Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker is overly protective single Mom freedom seeking teen Abigail Breslin, Hillary Swank orchestrates the Times Square ball drop and Zac Effron is the bike messenger turn wish fullfillment expert who helps harried just-out-of-a-job secretary Michelle Pffeifer get her bucket list out of the way before the year is out!None of the stories have great pathos or depth as a result the involvement is minimal. Even the drama lacks the mercurialness to be interesting. The film appears entirely contrived, disappointingly sketchy, painfully unromantic and unfunny especially for something billed as a romcom. The obvious product placement opportunities lent by a billboard heavy Times Square location, reeks of rank opportunism. This entire assemblage appears to be a glossed over representation of a tourism brochure and not a cinema worthy of excitement. This certainly ain’t the kind of cinema to bring you happiness!Johnsont307@gmail.com

The 0110 International Digital film festival, call for entries, last date 20th dec 2011

2011-12-10T01:07:00.001-08:00

The 0110 International Digital Film Festival is back – bigger, better, bolder and brilliant as ever.The 0110 IDFF is founded by Madhureeta Anand, the Festival Director, with the objective of creating a venue for new films and setting up vistas in the sphere of digital cinema. In three booming years, the festival grew to become international, comprising of eminent jury and audiences alike. While the first edition was an Indo-Brit collaboration, the second one developed into a South Asian – British fest and by the third edition, it became an all-embracing international film festival.This year, 0110 IDFF returns with its fourth edition. Joined by Mediaguru and QED as partners and UFO Movies India Limited as its title sponsor, The 0110 IDFF has metamorphosed into The UFO 0110 International Digital Film Festival.With more strength, it continues being an exclusive medium of interaction between filmmakers using the digital medium and will be an annual event.The festival is being held mainly at New Delhi. And as the festival grows, the future promises to expand its scope in many more cities.The festival will see awards in various genres of feature films, short films, animation, documentaries and student films. And if this isn’t exhilarating enough, there will also be a competition for digital art. Two more exciting competitions, ‘Films shot on mobile phones’ and ‘Film in 6 days’ will be held during the duration of the festival capturing the spirit and essence of digital filmmaking.The UFO 0110 IDFF has the clear target of egging on fresh film-makers, artists and their work and also, to nurture the pursuit in and promote the arts and media culture among the general public through independent film, video and new media.